Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (2024)

	Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

The game begins with a video call made by Professor Kukui to the player . Professor Kukui helps create a Trainer Passport for the player before they and the mother move from Kanto to Alola. Meanwhile, at roughly the same time, a young girl is seen escaping what seems to be a lab with an unidentified Pokémon in her bag. As she gets sandwiched between the workers from the lab on one side and alien-looking people in strange uniforms on the other, the Pokémon teleports itself and the girl away from the lab and away from danger.

Three months later, the player, along with the mother and Meowth, are enjoying their new home on Melemele Island. While taking a stroll on Route 1 , the player gets attacked by a wild Yungoos, only for a Rowlet, Litten and Popplio to suddenly arrive on the scene and scare it off. Professor Kukui soon joins the player and explains these Pokémon are supposed to be given out as first partner Pokémon on behalf of the island kahuna Hala. Excited by what he just saw, he decides to give the player one of the three Pokémon right away. Before arriving to Iki Town, Professor Kukui and the player run into Hala's grandson Hau, who immediately takes a liking to the player. Of the two remaining first partner Pokémon, Hau chooses the one that is weak to the player's first partner Pokémon and challenges the player to a battle.

As the player, Professor Kukui and Hau reach Iki Town, the kahuna is nowhere to be found, so Kukui sends the player to the Mahalo Trail in hopes of finding the kahuna. On the trail, the player spots the girl that escaped the lab and follows her to the Plank Bridge.

The Pokémon that the girl was holding escapes her bag as they reach the Plank Bridge, happy about the new environment it is in. Suddenly, a flock of Spearow attack the defenseless Pokémon, leaving the girl worrying and asking the player to save her friend Nebby. As she asks this, one of the Spearow rushes towards the player, making the chosen first partner Pokémon save the day again. Once the Spearow is dealt with, the player rushes in and guards Nebby from further harm before Nebby uses its power to destroy the bridge. Before the player and Nebby fall to their doom, Tapu Koko flies through the Spearow and bring the pair back to safely. Thankful for rescuing Nebby, the girl gives the player a Sparkling Stone that appeared after Tapu Koko's departure.

The player and the girl then return to Iki Town and get greeted by Kukui. Kukui introduces the girl as his lab assistant, Lillie, before the kahuna, Hala, returns from resolving a problem on the island. After Lillie explains the encounter she and the player had with Tapu Koko, Hala gets touched by the moment. Kukui then gives the player a Pokédex and sends them to their mother to show off the new Pokémon. Before the player leaves, Hala notices the sparkling stone and asks if he could borrow it, to which the player obliges, before inviting the player to a festival the following day.

The next day, Kukui stops by the player's house again and takes him to Route 1 so he can teach them how to catch Pokémon. Kukui then lets the player train before going to the festival. Before reaching the festival, the player runs into the alien-looking people who seem preoccupied by auras surrounding Iki Town. They briefly talk to the player before leaving.

At the festival, Hala and Kukui reveal that it is an event where Pokémon battles are held in honor of the Guardian Pokémon in Alola. Hau and the player battle once again in honor of Tapu Koko, and this time the entire town watches, including Lillie, the player's mother, and Meowth. After Tapu Koko approves of the battling, Hala returns the sparkling stone, which is now converted into a Z-Power Ring. Hala explains the Z-Power Ring's powers and the Z-Crystals that can only be acquired by participating in the island challenge, where the player must travel to all four of Alola's islands to become the island challenge champion. Afterward, the player then returns home to prepare for the next day.

The next day, Lillie visits the player and the two head to Kukui's lab. In the lab, Kukui upgrades the player's Pokédex into a Rotom Pokédex and explains more about the island challenge, which includes taking trials and getting recognized by each island kahuna. As the three leave the lab, the sky momentarily darkens. Kukui dismisses the event as an unforeseen eclipse.

Before taking any trials, the player must attend the Trainers' School to learn the basics of battling. Luckily, the player is able to take on the teacher's assignments and the player is able to take Captain Ilima's trial in Verdant Cavern. After beating the teacher in battle, Ilima invites the player to Hau'oli City after the player trains some more.

When the player meets up with Ilima, two Team Skull Grunt s appear, but they appear to be minor threats to Ilima. After a quick lesson from the player and Ilima, the Grunts flee and Ilima heals the player's Pokémon before challenging the player to a battle himself. After the battle, Ilima gets impressed by the player's team and allows the player to attempt his trial. On the way to Verdant Cavern, a Crabrawler drags the player to the Big Wave Beach as more Team Skull Grunts are causing trouble with other people. The Grunts get defeated by the player, and they announce to mess with Ilima's trial.

As the player makes it to Verdant Cavern, Ilima explains the rules of the trial and lets the player attempt it. Midway into the trial, the Grunts from earlier challenge the player again and get defeated. The Grunts bother a wild Pokémon in the area, unwittingly helping the player complete the next section of the trial. As the player almost completes the trial, Totem Gumshoos^US /Totem Raticate^UM ambushes the player and challenges the player to a battle. Upon defeat of the Pokémon, the player completes the trial.

After hearing that Lillie has gone missing, the player heads to Route 3 and into Melemele Meadow, where the player finds Lillie. Lillie again loses Nebby and the player has to go find it. The player finds a small opening and crawls inside, emerging in the Seaward Cave. There the player finds Nebby in the company of the same alien-looking people, Dulse and Zossie^US /Phyco and Soliera^UM , one of whom challenges the player to a battle. After dealing with them, the player returns to Lillie with Nebby in tow and they both leave the meadow to be greeted by Hau and Kukui. After hearing that Hau and the player passed their first trial, Kukui sends the player back to Iki Town for their grand trial with island kahuna Hala.

After defeating Hala, the player receives another Z-Crystal and is given a Ride Pager in order to ride Pokémon like Tauros in the Alola region. The player makes way to the next island, Akala Island, surfing on the back of a Mantine. On Akala Island, the player attends the trials of Lana, Kiawe, and Mallow before battling island kahuna Olivia. On Akala Island, the player once again encounters Team Skull and Dulse and Zossie^US /Phyco and Soliera^UM as well as new people like a suspicious scientist from Unova called Colress, a neglected member of Team Skull named Gladion who owns a Pokémon called Type: Null, and Hapu, a wanderer traveling the region with her Mudsdale. After defeating the island kahuna, Faba invites the player and Hau to Aether Paradise.

At Aether Paradise, the player and Hau meets the Aether Foundation President Lusamine and learn that the company is responsible for making Aether Paradise a sanctuary for abused Pokémon. In the middle of the meeting, a weird creature from another universe attacks the player and after a short battle retreats to its own world. That's when Dulse and Zossie^US /Phyco and Soliera^UM enter the scene once again. Lusamine introduces them as the Ultra Recon Squad, and explains that she is working with them to protect Alola from an otherworldly Pokémon called Necrozma. Lusamine then sends the player and Hau to Ula'ula Island to complete their island challenge.

On Ula'ula Island, the player prepares for the trials of Sophocles and Acerola. While taking these trials, the player learns about a Pokémon League under construction and is challenged to participate in it as soon as the player completes the island challenge. After completing the two trials, the player meets the Team Skull leader Guzma and visits their base at Po Town. After defeating the team in Po Town, Police officer Nanu and Acerola thank the player for rescuing a stolen Yungoos and head to the Aether House.

Upon entering the house, Hau tells the player that Team Skull's Admin, Plumeria, kidnapped Lillie and Nebby. Gladion overhears the conversation and demands Hau and the player to travel with him to the ferry terminal for their next destination. Before the trio leave, Nanu challenges the player as an island kahuna. Nanu gives the player another Z-Crystal and asks Gladion what he is depending on Team Skull for before departing. Gladion reveals to the player and Hau that they have to return to Aether Paradise to rescue Lillie and Nebby. Despite the crazy story, the player and Hau tag with Gladion to Aether Paradise.

At Aether Paradise, employees begin to attack the team as they believe they are intruders. They eventually reach Faba who, after a battle from the player, redirects the trio to the lower level of Aether Paradise, with the trio unaware that it is a trap in order to buy time. After learning of the trap, they head back up to find Faba, who brought reinforcements to battle them. Wicke then appears to them and says that Lillie might be with the President, but it would be hard to get to them. Faba then ambushes them again with more employees. The team defeats the employees and Faba again, resulting in Faba giving them access to the president's office.

The trio then spots Team Skull and Guzma in front of where they need to go. Gladion immediately takes on Guzma, while Hau and the player take out the Grunts. After taking out the Grunts, Guzma takes down Gladion and the player takes his place in battle. Guzma gets defeated by the player again and is forced to let the team move onward. After powering through another battle with Dulse^US /Soliera^UM , the player runs into Lusamine and Lillie. The player witnesses a darker side of Lusamine and learns that Nebby is being sacrificed to open an Ultra Wormhole to the place where Necrozma dwells. Lillie tries to reason with her mother but fails to do so, resulting in the player going after Lusamine.

Gladion and Hau catch up to the player and Gladion tells his mother she is not ready to fight Necrozma on her own, but again, Lusamine ignores her children and opens the wormhole anyways. She challenges the player to prove her children she can handle any threat with her Pokémon, but even a loss is not enough to deter her, as she calls a similarly stubborn Guzma with her, and they both cross over. After the Ultra Wormhole closes, Lillie checks on Nebby, who has now transformed into a new form. Shocked by Lusamine's actions, Dulse and Zossie^US /Phyco and Soliera^UM nevertheless respond to Lillie's plea for help and reveal they came to Alola from their world on the back of a Lunala^US /Solgaleo^UM , and that an altar on the final Island of Alola, Poni Island, holds a secret to awakening such a dimension-travelling beast.

The next day, Gladion gives Lillie the Moon Flute^US /Sun Flute^UM , helps the player and Lillie get to Poni Island, and recommends finding the island kahuna. The player and Lillie eventually find Hapu again, who reveals the island has no kahuna. The three then travel to the Ruins of Hope where Tapu Fini grants Hapu the honor of becoming Poni Island's new kahuna. Hapu then talks about the Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo^US /Lunala^UM and how there needs to be a ceremony at the Altar of the Sunne^US /Altar of the Moone^UM involving two particular flutes. Lillie shows Hapu the flute Gladion gave her and are told the other flute is on Exeggutor Island. The player then heads to Exeggutor Island to obtain Lillie's flute counterpart.

After the player returns to Poni Island, they and Lillie head to the Altar. On the way to the Altar, they get ambushed by Team Skull. Team Skull battles the player in order to try and get them to talk about where Guzma disappeared to, but Plumeria puts a stop to the battling. Plumeria apologizes for her actions and lets them continue onward in hopes of rescuing Guzma. Soon after, Dulse and Zossie^US /Phyco and Soliera^UM catch up to the duo and challenge the player. They explain that now that Lusamine has proven to be untrustworthy, the player is their only chance to stop Necrozma. The player makes way through the Vast Poni Canyon, walking into an unmanned Trial in the process, and completing it.

The player and Lillie reach the Altar and both prepare to play their flutes and either wait until dawn^US or dusk^UM to summon the Legendary Pokémon. After playing their flutes, an odd power in the Altar forms and takes Lillie's bag to the source of the power. Nebby is taken from the bag and evolves into Solgaleo^US /Lunala^UM . Nebby prepares to take the player and Lillie to Ultra Space with its new power, but an Ultra Wormhole suddenly opens, and Guzma and Lusamine fall out of it, followed by a levitating Necrozma. Necrozma immediately spots Nebby and assaults it, ultimately besting it in a battle and merging with it. The player then fights the merged Necrozma, but despite losing, it manages to escape. All the while, other wormholes appear all over Alola, sending Ultra Beasts across the land. The light all over the region also disappears, and the archipelago is plunged into darkness.

Lusamine asks the Ultra Recon Squad for help. However, they brush her off, as they're unwilling to forgive her for her recklessness. Instead, they give the player a uniform like their own and send them across dimensions to the Ultra Recon Squad's world on the back of their own Lunala^US /Solgaleo^UM . The player emerges in Ultra Megalopolis, ascends the Megalo Tower and faces Necrozma, now in its true form, a dragon made of light. After the battle, Necrozma disappears, as light returns to Alola. Returning to the Altar, the player learns that after Necrozma and Nebby landed in Alola, they unfused. Necrozma vanished, and Lusamine and Lillie are taking a severely weakened Nebby to Aether Paradise.

The threat of Necrozma is gone, but the player still has one trial to pass in order to complete the island challenge. The player meets the final Trial Captain, Mina, whose trial involves challenging the other Captains to a Pokémon battle. During the trip around the region, the player notices that Sophocles is saying goodbye to his cousin Molayne and that Acerola is nowhere to be found, having left her place in Mina's trial to Nanu. The player completes the trial, after which Hapu invites the player to the Exeggutor Island for the final Grand Trial. After Hapu is bested, the player's island challenge is officially complete. The only thing left to do is challenge the new Pokémon League in Mount Lanakila on Ula'ula Island and become Alola's first ever Champion.

While making way through Mount Lanakila, the player comes across a huge crater with, in the middle of it, a weakened Necrozma. The player gives it some of the light from their Z-Ring and catches it. Then, Colress, who has been watching the battle, arrives, congratulates the player for befriending the beast, and gives them the machines he built for triggering Necrozma's form changes by merging with Solgaleo and Lunala.

When the player reaches the Pokémon League, Professor Kukui greets the player and gives him the choice to battle any of the four members of the Alola League in whatever choice the player decides. The members include former Trial Captain Molayne who uses the Steel type, island kahuna Olivia who uses the Rock type, Trial Captain Acerola, who uses the Ghost type, and Kahili, a former island challenge champion and golfer who uses the Flying type. After the player defeats the Elite Four, they prepare to take a seat in the Champion's chair before Professor Kukui surprises the player with a final challenge, coming from none other than Hau. After winning the battle, the player becomes the first Alola League Champion and is invited back to a big festival in Iki Town to celebrate the big accomplishment.

During the following days, Guzma and Plumeria disband Team Skull. Gladion leaves the region by boat to train overseas and is surprised to see his mother Lusamine wave him goodbye from the Hau'oli Marina.

After the end credits, Hau and the Ultra Recon Squad meet the player outside of their house, congratulate them on becoming the Champion, and invite them along to Poni Island, where Ultra Beasts are still on the loose. On the way to Poni Grove, the player and Hau meet Wicke, who gives the player Type: Null. The player and Hau arrive at Poni Grove to help the Ultra Recon Squad capture Blacephalon^US or Stakataka^UM using the provided Beast Balls. One specimen caught by Hau is given to the Ultra Recon Squad and the Aether Foundation for research while the other two are caught by the player to keep. After the crisis is over, the Ultra Recon Squad thank the player and Hau and leave. The player returns home to rest.