Nebby

Nebby (Japanese: ほしぐもちゃん Hoshigumo-chan) is a character introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon. Although it seems to possess a mysterious power, being a, Nebby is depicted as frail and unable to use moves for large parts of the games' storyline. Nebby's name has been given to it by Lillie, who cares for it and tries to find out about its true nature. In an attempt to save it from harm, Lillie often keeps Nebby in her bag in order to hide it from outsiders.

In
During the opening cutscene, three months prior to the beginning of the undefined's adventure, when Lillie tries to flee Aether Paradise, she is teleported away by a mysterious force; that force is later revealed to stem from Nebby, who hid in her bag. Lillie and Nebby wash up on a beach, where they are found by Professor Burnet, who agrees to help Lillie learn more about Nebby. She then contacts her husband, Professor Kukui, who allows them to stay with him for the time being.

The player first meets Nebby on the Mahalo Trail, being informed by Lillie that it is being attacked by a group of  on an unstable rope bridge. When the player steps in to protect it, Nebby is forced to use its hidden powers, thereby destroying the bridge. It is saved by while falling. When asking Nebby to return into her bag, Lillie also asks the player to not tell anybody about Nebby. At the Iki Town festival, Nebby watches the player receive their starter Pokémon, and later their Z-Ring. Nebby is with Lillie when she introduces Kukui's lab, the Pokémon Center on, the Trainers' School, and Hau'oli City to the player.

When the player arrives at Melemele Meadow, Nebby has escaped from Lillie's bag. However, the player can find it unharmed; Lillie then asks Nebby to return to her bag. After the player has completed Hala's trial, Nebby and Lillie accompany the player and Professor Kukui to Akala Island.

At Akala Island, Lillie believes Nebby might be interested in visiting the Ruins of Life. Nebby is next seen at Dimensional Research Lab, where it fails to adhere to Lillie who instructs it to use, and curiously approaches the player. Later, at the Ruins of Life, Olivia suggests that Nebby must be powerful when it approaches 's territory.

On Ula'ula Island, Lillie informs the player that she and Nebby intent to see the Ruins of Abundance. However, when at the Aether House on, they are kidnapped by Team Skull in an operation led by Plumeria. At Aether Paradise, Nebby is subjected to Team Skull and the Aether Foundation's experiments aiming at opening more Ultra Wormholes and harness the power of Ultra Beasts&mdash;experiments Lillie had originally saved it from with their escape seen during the opening cutscene. When Lusamine abuses Nebby's powers to open Ultra Wormholes, it is revealed to have evolved into (although no one is seemingly aware of this). After Lusamine and Guzma have left Aether Paradise through an Ultra Wormhole, Lillie is able to take back Nebby.

In order to make Nebby feel better after the events at Aether Paradise, Lillie travels to Poni Island. Although at the Ruins of Hope, her hopes of helping Nebby do not come true, she is given the Moon Flute or Sun Flute. At the Altar of the Sunne or Altar of the Moone, Lillie and the player play the Sun Flute and the Moon Flute together during the daytime or nighttime, and Nebby is drawn from her bag, evolving into or. Upon Lillie's request, Nebby guides her and the player into Ultra Space. In Ultra Space, Nebby roars at Lusamine who has merged with, forcing the two apart. Afterwards, Lillie informs the player that Nebby wants to keep on traveling with her and the player; however, Lillie stresses that she is not a and urges Nebby to join the player. A battle is initiated, and the player is then required to catch Nebby (and in the process, they can give it any nickname).

In
Nebby plays largely the same role in until it evolves into Solgaleo or Lunala, where it briefly does battle with  and loses. This allows Necrozma to absorb Nebby and turn into Dusk Mane/Dawn Wings Necrozma and attack the player. After defeating Ultra Necrozma at Megalo Tower, Nebby is freed from Necrozma and returns to the Altar of the Sunne/Altar of the Moone. After thanking the player, Lusamine and Lillie take Nebby to Aether Paradise to be treated.

After the player defeats Ilima during Mina's trial, they have the option of returning to the now-repaired Mahalo Trail Plank Bridge, where Lillie will ask the player to take Nebby in their care.

In the anime
Nebby debuted in A Dream Encounter!. It first appeared in 's dream, where it was created by and  at the Altar of the Sunne. It was taken to Melemele Island by the guardian deities of Alola, where led Ash to where it was sleeping. Taking it to the Pokémon School, Ash and found that the unusual Pokémon emitted a high-pitched scream whenever it cried. Eventually calming it down, Ash decided to take care of Cosmog, which nicknamed Nebby. When Ash brought it home with Lillie, he met Professor Burnet, Lusamine, Wicke, and Faba, who revealed that Nebby could be an Ultra Beast. Lusamine later offered to take Nebby with her to Aether Paradise, but Ash declined because of his promise to take care of Nebby. Lusamine gave in and entrusted Nebby's safety with Ash.

In Faba's Revenge!, it was lured out of Ash's bag by Faba, who convinced it to teleport him back to Aether Foundation's sealed lab. After arriving, Faba captured it in a device designed to keep it from teleporting. Faba intended to use Nebby's power to open an Ultra Wormhole, but he was stopped by Ash's Pikachu and 's. However, after being released, Nebby evolved into, and the residual energy from the evolution caused a Wormhole to appear anyway.

Nebby was brought to the Altar of the Sunne by Ash in Family Determination!. In the next episode, Ash gave Nebby to the Tapu, asking for their help. After being blessed by and, the four deities sung at the Altar, opening the mechanism within and causing Nebby to evolve into , much to the surprise of everyone present. After greeting the others warmly, Nebby accepted Ash, Lillie, and Gladion's plea to help Lusamine, giving Ash a Solganium Z. After having his Z-Ring upgraded to a Z-Power Ring by the Tapu, Ash and the others climbed on Nebby's back, and using the power of the Z-Move, created an Ultra Wormhole to travel to the place Lusamine awaited them.

After arriving in the Ultra Deep Sea in Rescuing the Unwilling!, Nebby and Ash cornered Lusamine during the following episode. As a result, Lusamine flooded their island with a poisonous liquid. Due to Nebby's giving it immunity to poison, it protected Ash from the liquid, and then carried him across it, dodging Lusamine's attacks along the way. After that, it went back with Ash's Lycanroc to help the others fight off Lusamine's Pokémon, who continued to heal themselves due to the Nihilego's energy. Everyone later succeeded after Lusamine was freed from Nihilego's control by Ash. Nebby then carried the group, now joined by the revived Lusamine, back to the Altar of the Sunne. After the conclusion of the episode, it parted from the group.

In The Professors' New Adventure!, Nebby appeared above the site of and Professor Burnet's wedding. The class thanked it for its help in Ultra Space, to which it smiled back at them.

Nebby reappeared in Filling the Light with Darkness!, where it and were playing in an Ultra Wormhole when they were attacked by a. They fled as Necrozma pursued them through the Ultra Wormhole. It eventually wound up being injured by one of Necrozma's attacks and was left behind.

In Full Moon and Many Arms!, Nebby arrived in Alola, where it met up with Ash again and fought in an effort to free Lunala from its control. With its, Nebby managed to knock Necrozma off of Lunala, causing it to break apart and fall into the sea. Shortly after, the elite Team Rocket unit, the Matori Matrix, attacked Nebby and Lunala by trapping them in an electrified net. After being freed by Ash's Pikachu and Gladion's Silvally, Nebby retaliated by attacking the unit's aircraft, forcing them to retreat. Immediately after, Necrozma emerged from the sea and possessed Nebby, causing it become. Ash tried to free Nebby, but was unable to stop Necrozma, and it fled into an Ultra Wormhole.

It reappeared yet again in The Prism Between Light and Darkness!, while it was still fused with Necrozma. The Ultra Guardians, with Lunala's help, pursued Necrozma to the home world of Ash's Poipole, and learned that Necrozma was preying on the two Legendary Pokémon in order to absorb their light and restore itself to its. After being asked by to save Necrozma, Ash,, , and Gladion attempted to use their Z-Moves to supply Necrozma with Ultra Aura and separate it from Nebby. However, they were only successful in making it more powerful. Communication between the Guardians and their home base was soon reestablished. After Lusamine, Wicke, and Professor Burnet shared what they knew, they arranged for the people and Pokémon attending the Manalo Festival to follow the lead of the guardian deities and share a portion of their Ultra Aura with Necrozma. Combined with the Ultra Aura of the Ultra Guardians and their Pokémon, Necrozma received enough light to separate from Nebby. Nebby then joined forces with Ash, Gladion, and Lunala, giving Necrozma one last boost of power with the combined Ultra Aura of their special Z-Moves, and. Through these efforts, Necrozma's strength was finally restored. After Ash and Pikachu bade farewell to Poipole, Nebby and Lunala led the Ultra Guardians back to Alola.

Personality and characteristics
In the original Japanese version of the anime, Nebby's official nickname is simply ほしぐも Hoshigumo, as opposed to Hoshigumo-chan. The -chan is still used occasionally, with "Little Nebby" being used instead of Hoshigumo-chan in the English dub. In Now You See Them, Now You Don't!, caught sight of the unidentified Pokémon while Ash was buying donuts from their food truck. James surmised that the unknown Pokémon was the pre-evolved form of, and named it Protokoffing (Japanse プチドガース Puchidogars). This lead to confusion when the trio saw Cosmoem in Revealing the Stuff of Legend!, causing James to assume that there was an intermediary phase it evolves into in Alola, which he dubbed Nanokoffing (Japanese カタドガース Katadogas), but this was ultimately debunked when they witnessed "Nanokoffing" evolve into the Solgaleo. After its final evolution, Ash and his classmates typically refer to it by its proper name, Solgaleo.

As a, Nebby shared many traits with human babies. It slept and cried a lot, but was easy to amuse and was naturally curious. Its cries were quite powerful, and they caused nearby people and Pokémon to cover their ears. In A Masked Warning!, its cries were so powerful, it sent Pikachu flying back into a tree. Nebby was a very fussy eater and appears to have a preference for the Star candy (Japanese コンペイト ). It was also ticklish and enjoys playing hide-and-seek, as shown respectively in A Dream Encounter! and Night of a Thousand Poses!.

In Now You See Them, Now You Don't!, it was shown that Nebby tends to people to places they are thinking or talking about. surmises this is because it knew little about the world around it, so it had to depend on telepathy and other people to develop its abilities. By the end of the episode, it had become attached enough to Ash, to the point where it would willingly teleport to him on its own whenever they are separated.

After evolving into, Nebby hardly spoke, moved, or emoted, reflective of its coccoon-like state. However, after evolving into, it appeared to have grown into a more mature version of itself physically and mentally, letting Lillie hug it, happily accepting the Star candy from Ash, and licking him affectionately. As a Solgaleo, Nebby can create Ultra Wormholes at will with the help of a Trainer with a Z-Power Ring, a Solganium Z, and its Z-Move, Searing Sunraze Smash.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Nebby first appeared as a Pokémon in Lillie's care. It was one of two obtained by the Aether Foundation for the purpose of opening Ultra Wormholes. Fearing for its safety, Lillie took one of the Cosmog and escaped from Aether Paradise, completely unaware there were actually two the entire time.

Nebby first appeared in The Decision and the Tournament of Six, where it escaped from Lillie's bag and ran off to Mahalo Trail, where it was attacked by a group of wild. Lillie was too scared to help it, so stepped in to save Nebby in her place. When she got to Nebby, it retaliated against the Spearow by releasing a shockwave, causing the bridge they were standing on to break apart underneath them. Moon and Nebby were rescued from falling in the water by, who caught the two and brought them back to safe land.

In PASM14, Professor Burnet accidentally caused Lillie to recall painful memories of a traumatic experience caused by her mother, Lusamine. Lillie's distress caused Nebby to fly out of her bag and begin clawing at the sky, nearly creating an Ultra Wormhole. After Lillie fainted, Nebby stopped and went down to check on her out of concern.

In PASM17, after completed his second trial at the, he thanked the Rotom Pokédex for its help in the battle where it gave information about. To Sun and Lillie's surprised, Rotom revealed it learned about Tapu Bulu from Nebby. Hoping that Rotom could translate Nebby's speech and speed up his job to deliver Mirage Berries to each of Alola's guardian deities, Sun tried to get Nebby to come out. To their shock, Nebby emerged from Lillie's bag in the form of the motionless, cocoon-like.

Later, after arriving on Poni Island, Lillie and Gladion took Nebby with them as they traveled to the Poni Altar. A attacked the duo as they passed through Poni Wilds, forcing Gladion to battle it with. During the clash, Nebby flew out of Gladion's grasp and into the air where it reunited with its fellow Cosmog, who had also evolved into Cosmoem. The two Protostar Pokémon flew towards the Altar. Upon arriving, the guardian deities took Sun and Moon and placed them on the Altar with the Sun and Moon Flutes. By playing the flutes together, Sun and Moon caused the Altar to react and release a light that hit both Cosmoem.

The light caused Nebby and the other Cosmoem to evolve into and, respectively. With its newly-gained power, Lunala put Moon on its head and helped fend off the Ultra Beasts that had arrived to attack the Poni Altar. Shortly after, a larger than usual Ultra Wormhole appeared at the Altar with a emerging from it. The hand took control of Solgaleo's body. The possessed Solgaleo grabbed Sun with its tail and jumped into the wormhole. Lunala activated its third eye and flew into the wormhole with Moon still on its head.

Some time after arriving in Ultra Space, Lunala got separated from Moon and Sun. At some point, it came in contact with the Ultra Recon Squad, who used Lunala to traverse through Ultra Space via Ultra Warp Ride. At the Ultra Deep Sea, Lunala reunited with Sun and Moon, who had been trapped in the area for six months. After agreeing to work together, Sun, Moon, and Zossie rode on Lunala's back so they could return to Alola. Dulse stayed behind as Lunala couldn't carry more than three people on it. Zossie taught Sun how to use Ultra Warp Ride and told him and Moon about the various worlds the Ultra Beasts come from. After passing through an Ultra Wormhole, the three arrived at the Ultra Recon Squad's home world, the Ultra Megalopolis.

In the TCG


Nebby is featured in the artwork of the TCG SM-P Promotional cards (SM-P Promotional card), alongside Lillie and her Poké Doll.

Names
Nebby

Related articles
For more information on this Pokémon's species, see, , , and.
 * Lillie

Wölkchen Nebby/Nebulilla Doudou Nebulino ほしぐもちゃん 小星雲