Author's Note: Here's another little interlude Quang and I came up with together. Don't worry, we'll still include the Shiny Group, Skitty, Eevee and Braviary, but it will be after this interlude. :)
Enjoy readers!
Ever since Sarah's Human and Solgaleo DNA were mixed with the Lion DNA as a result of bonding with Solar, Nikki, James, Ash and the group had been keeping an eye on her to see if she would undergo any more changes due to the DNA combination. So far, there hasn't been any changes in her behavior or personality, except for her increased strength, speed, endurance, agility. She could run faster than all her friends now, up to the lion's top speed of 50 mph! And now she could leap 36 feet in length, the maximum leap for the lion as well.
With her increased agility and endurance, she could take more hits in battle and she could dodge attacks with great ease and grace.
Sarah also practiced with the Beast X-King Ultra Bow in the battle simulator as well. The weapon is as powerful as Nate had described able to destroy ten PokeMechas in one blow! Sarah was very pleased with the weapon and wondered if she could ask Nate, if he could make a weapon with Nebby's DNA.
So far, there weren't any major changes within Sarah, she was still kind and gentle to everyone and she behaved like she always did. However... no one knew it but the Lion DNA did give Sarah something... and she would be in for a wild ride.
It all began for her one Friday afternoon when she was being examined one last time for the day after she had completed her latest day of training with her new powers and accessories from the Beast Morphers Rangers. In the Ultra Guardians Command Center, Kukui and the others were completing additional tests on her regarding her new powers to see what else can be found regarding her combined Lion and Solgaleo DNA and what powers she might've attained from the DNA merge.
Everyone waited anxiously for the latest set of results to come in if there was anything else they might've overlooked or haven't found yet that would bear fruit or, at worst, anything that could complicate her fighting abilities. When they did arrive, while they were a little disappointed to see nothing new yet, but their spirits brightened when Lusamine, Wicke, and Burnet, who were helping overlook the examinations for Sarah's new powers, promised to further analyze all the data they gained from their experiments carefully and see if there is anything else that they haven't uncovered about her powers from her Lion DNA.
The following Saturday morning, away from the Pokemon School, Sarah and her extended family were relaxing in their large backyard and the vast field bordering it. While her younger Pokemon were playing with Lolita, Milotic, Dragonair, Zweilous, and Umbreon while helping him and his daughters get better acquainted with their new family, Sarah was dozing in the sun with Nebby, Solar, Silvally, and the dragons while the others were playing in the sand with a beach ball or making sandcastles.
"Ahh... This is the life," thought Sarah quietly as she sighed happily. "Nothing but some sun, surf, and sand to get away from it all, even for a moment..."
"Boring! Come on, Mother, I should be looking for a fight to keep myself upright," grumbled Silvally, already growing bored.
"Doesn't it bother you that we've been running around like crazy for who knows how long?" Solar questioned.
"Yeah, Big Bro, it's funny you want a fight with anybody and everybody if only to keep yourself entertained and-" Nebby stated before he was cut off.
"No. When I mention I was 'looking for a fight', it's my definition of relaxing, Kid."
"Doesn't everything we've been through make you want to relax and take a breather? Mama wants us to have fun and not get us all jumpy and cookoo for cocoa puffs every now and again."
"You may be part of my family, Silvally, but sometimes, you can be a real piece of work," Sarah agreed incredulously. "I mean, what happens if Lothor and Team Eclipse end up stalking us and we're at our worst if we have disheveled hair, we're sweaty all over from training regiments 24/7, we have bags over our eyes, we make enemies with the townsfolk, and get roped up in the law with Officer Jenny-"
"Alright, alright, chill out for a moment if you want!" groaned the Synthetic Pokemon as he laid his head down on his front legs like a cat, not wanting to argue with his human mother and brother. "But, I was a Beast Killer Pokemon, I fight for a living. Living an easy-going life is not always what I live for; if that's what you're wondering."
"You've gotten used to being easy-going by now, did you?"
"That was... Tolerable, for the most part. But, when you're a living weapon like me with only one purpose and that's to fight, living in peace and tranquility sometimes isn't meant for me."
"Don't go on like that, you've had it good ever since Tapu Koko entrusted you to me and I don't regret taking you in. Now, quit being a big baby and let yourself loose, you've got a good life ahead of you. As they always said, 'life's short, live while you can'."
"...Did you just make that up?"
"I'm not kidding nor did I make it up, somebody else coined it. You gonna judge me on that?"
Silvally sweatdropped, remembering the same squabble he and Sarah had during the time of the Alolan Open House at the Pokemon School. "I neither confirm or deny..."
Seeing how awkward his brother and partner's conversation is becoming, Solar decided to speak up about the test results on her powers. "So, anything yet from Lusamine or Commander Shaw on your DNA tests?" he questioned.
"Nope, nothing yet," Sarah replied.
"You'd think they, Grid Battleforce, and the Aether Foundation, as well as the others, would've found anything useful like a new power from your Lion DNA, especially when it merged with your Solgaleo DNA."
"But, we have no idea of know what effects or powers would come from it," Sarah countered. "I don't know if Nate would have any answers if the results are forwarded to him. He'd analyze and come up with anything from them in seconds from what the letter from him, Steel, Zoey, Ravi, and Devon the other day told me."
"He's a boy genius at what he does and if anybody can figure out what powers would come from your Lion DNA, it's him. He was the one who created your Beast-X Mode Visor, wasn't he?"
"Yeah, he did..."
"So, why worry? They'll ring us back if they find anything and we have them to turn to if anything does happen between now and then."
"Right..."
Sarah sighed; maybe Solar was right and if Nate really can figure out what powers would derive from her Lion DNA, then he shouldn't doubt his knowledgeable prowess. She decided to take her mind off of her powers until then when she noticed Wooloo and Ponyta joining Riolu and Snowflake for a small training exercise under the watchful eyes of Snowflake's family including Vibrava, who had matured immensely since evolving from his Trapinch form prior.
As Dragonair, Zweilous, and Vibrava watched the four young Pokemon training themselves for whatever else may come across their extended family's path, and the others either dozing in the sun or continuing to play, they had no idea that trouble was once again about to come knocking.
For not far from their current location, Team Skull was overlooking them again with Plumeria and Guzma back in the saddle.
Having taken as much time as possible to contemplate where they and their Pokemon thug posse went wrong after their old adversary schooled them and took back Dusk and Luna's parents from their custody and Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp's previous failures, the Team Skull "admin" and leader wanted to see if Sarah really had gotten stronger as they said. To them, it sounded surprising and curious to hear that their old foe was now a powerful force in the most unexpected of ways.
"You're saying she's now what they call a Power Ranger and she's the Lost Princess?" Guzma quizzed Tupp as they all watched Sarah and her family closely.
"That's the gist of it and as far as those rumors go, given that the little royal pussycat once belonged to the last Royal Family, that makes her the Last Sun Princess, Boss," Tupp confirmed.
"It looked as though we couldn't get a leg up on her no matter how hard she tried, nearly a year or so passed and she mopped the floor with us over and over ever since she whomped us on her first visit to Poni Town," Zipp added.
"No matter what we tried, she and the rest of those meddling kids always managed to give us the boot and knock us down our high thrones," snarled Rapp quietly.
"And, judging by the excessive amount of Pokemon she has in her hand, that strange talking robot, and those disgusting lizards, it's no wonder you three and the others were getting your asses handed to you on a silver platter," grumbled Plumeria. "They're making it impossible for us to lay one finger on her, let alone take her by surprise."
"So... What'll we do in the meantime, Big Sis, Boss?"
"The old waiting game, Tupp, you knucklehead; if we try to pull a fast one on her, one of them is bound to notice us with little effort."
"My thoughts exactly, Plumeria. Those lizards and those loyal mutts of hers are too smart for those cliche by-the-book tricks, they got bigger, more educated brains than we do."
"But, they don't go to school-" Zipp began before Rapp bonked him.
"Not like that, you goom-bah! They look like they've gotten used to surprise attacks all the time, and thus, they'll be able to turn the tables on us and pick us off at any moment," snapped Rapp with a groan.
"And, with rumors of this old man of hers being an advisor to her old family with a powerful Absol to boot floating about, we have the perfect thing to bring her to her knees," Plumeria smirked. "The same goes for her 'parents' since they still have something that once belonged to us."
"Yes, those two pesky Lycanroc," Tupp agreed, snarling.
"We'll take them as our own and get her to do our bidding. Once she's down for the count, her Pokemon and lizards will be ours and that robot will make us millions," Guzma chuckled darkly. "Tupp, Rapp, Zipp, round up your buddy baddies and prepare the ambush! If they're in her modest little castle of a house, we'll have our work cut out... Plumeria, join them, you know what to do..."
"As you wish, leader. Show her what happens when she makes Team Skull really angry and we'll have our little presents ready and waiting for the brat..." nodded Plumeria, smirking as she left with Rapp, Zipp, and Tupp to carry out their new plan.
Guzma chuckled darkly before he frowned, thinking back to a time when he was once friends with a particular person in his life and the time that led him down the path to creating Team Skull, meeting Plumeria, Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp, and becoming the leader of the most notorious gang of Pokemon trainer bullies in the Alola Region. Things used to be simpler back then for him but fate obviously had something else planned for him, making him so miserable and an outright ass to everybody he clashed with, which wasn't help by Sarah's meddling in their affairs when he and his gang were causing trouble.
He shook his head, trying to shake off the memories before he returned his gaze to Sarah. The past is gone and now, he has the future to look forward to which, for him, begins with his revenge.
Little does he and the rest of Team Skull know that Sarah would be ready for them once more but this time, in the most unexpected way possible.
As they carried out their plan for their long-awaited revenge against the little Sun Princess, James, Nikki, and Tsukumaro were down at the market street with Dusk and Luna's parents, Lucario, Dragonite, and Absol doing daily grocery shopping rounds. Nikki and James were currently looking for what berries they need to cook with for dinner but the former advisor was searching for extra supplies for himself and Absol. Even though Tsukumaro was able to adapt to his new modern and contemporary environment with Sarah and her adopted parents' help, he couldn't help but continue feeling a little out of place in such a world.
"Even now, I could never get used to such a high rate of urbanization in my home region," he mused.
"Still feeling you stick out like a sore thumb, Doc?" James asked.
"How do you humans manage your lives in this world? I appreciate what you and the princess have done for me but this still seems out of the ordinary for an old man such as me."
"You're not that old for a man of your stature, Tsukumaro," Nikki reassured. "You're just as young as us."
"Try telling me that when I used that blasted coffee machine. The burns on my hand felt like they were about to last for months and that infernal coffee was unbearably hot and it tasted like burnt chocolate lava!"
"At least, you got your first dose of hot caffeine from it. You thankfully got a jolt from it and we were lucky to have the first aid kit to wrap you up in it but it did make you scream a lot, made us sure you're okay."
"You would deliberately joke about me burning my hand and making a fool out of myself? I swear, if my Lord and Lady are still around, they would've taken great pleasure in seeing me humiliated in such an uncouth way."
"You, Doug, and Deiliah were friends before. I'm sure they won't mind a good laugh or two at you," Nikki reassured.
"Yes... I know," he replied quietly, before giving a small smile and as Absol nuzzled him reassuringly.
He had to admit; despite humiliating himself with the coffee machine, if Doug and Delilah were still alive and were with him and Sarah now and saw what he did even without the coffee machine, he would eventually be happy to see and hear them laughing from his mistake, joy that would've been amplified with Sarah when she was still a baby. If only things back then had been simpler before Lothor came and destroyed their happiness...
Soon, they were on their way home after getting what they needed from the market street. It all seemed to be going well for them and they had no trouble whatsoever after knowing that nothing can go wrong for them with their Pokemon by their side and that Sarah would be fine.
But, after they've set their goods down on the dining table in the kitchen and were beginning to relax once more, Absol suddenly perked up and turned towards the front door before quietly walking towards it.
He didn't know what he sensed as he looked around the front porch and the street in front of him carefully, keeping his narrowed eyes focused on anything and everything around him and his trainer's charge's adopted family's house. Whatever it was he felt, he knew it wasn't pretty and bound to take him, Tsukumaro, and their acquaintances by surprise.
As if on cue, he sensed and saw what looked like a Sludge Bomb hurtling towards him before he jumped back and launched a Razor Wind attack in the direction of whoever or whatever tried to pull a fast one on him.
The Razor Wind landed on the spot he was looking at and out came Salazzle and Plumeria, both of them jumping out of the bush and getting into a battle stance against the Disaster Pokemon.
Hearing and jumping from the explosions and Absol roaring, Tsukumaro, Nikki, James, Lucario, Dragonite, and the Lycanroc Couple grew worried as they rushed outside before they saw Plumeria and her Salazzle.
"Who is that uncouth mockery of a woman?!" gawked Tsukumaro as he eyed Plumeria.
"It's Plumeria from Team Skull!" James gasped in shock.
"Well, well, glad to see you two haven't changed a bit," smirked Plumeria before she turned to Tsukumaro. "Mind your tongue, Old Man. Old classical junk is out, new heavy metal buzz is in, not like an old grandpa like you could understand despite your good looks. Your Absol's not too bad of a fighter, could work up a decent sweat if it keeps that up."
"You'd do better than to underestimate Absol and I when you get us angry. My goddaughter told us about you and what your little cult put her through and I'll see to it that you'll be severely punished!"
"Hmph. So, the kid filled you in on us, too, then? That makes it all the more easier, then. Here's the deal, ladies and gentlemen, my kids and I need you for a little errand."
"If it's about Dusk and Luna's parents, forget it!"
"You're not getting them after what you've done to them and their sons, and that's final!" James and Nikki snapped angrily as both Lycanroc growled.
"Oh, how I was hoping for you to object my offer..." mocked Plumeria, her smirk widening.
The humans and Pokemon in front of her and Salazzle were surprised as they exchanged confused looks. Plumeria took it as an opportunity to let out a whistle and signaled practically all of Team Skull to appear and surround the small group before them along with Guzma and his Golisopod ambushed them with a Razor Shell and Hydro Pump combo attack, taking their foes by surprise as they were blasted off their feet and paws.
It set off a loud explosion and screams coming from all of them that Sarah, her family, and dragons heard from their current location, making them jump and look around in shock. "What was that?!" Silvally shrieked.
"Is it Team Eclipse again?!" Riolu chirped.
"They couldn't be ambushing us again but-Wait!" Solar cried as he quickly adjusted his circuits for supersonic hearing and focused.
His mechanical ears twitched as he heard the explosion and heard several screams ringing in them, all of them becoming distinguishable that made his robotic heart sank with intense horror as he gasped
"What is it, Solar?" asked Sarah.
"No time, we gotta return home! Jump on!" Solar screamed.
"What are you talking about? Why-?"
"JUST DO IT!"
Startled by Solar's furious retort, she quickly jumped on her Beast Bot before he ran like the wind, much to her surprise as she screamed and held on for dear life. Her family, completely taken by surprise over Solar's abrupt departure but also worried, quickly followed to keep up with the lion-like robot.
As they all scrambled back, Tsukumaro, Nikki, James, and their Pokemon all picked themselves up and started to fight back but with Plumeria and Guzma leading the charge joined by Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp and with nowhere to run with the other Team Skull grunts blocking them from all angles, they had no choice but to duke it out and keep themselves and the Lycanroc Couple from their clutches.
But, despite their best efforts, Team Skull cheated their way to victory as three other grunts tackled Nikki and James and held them while they weren't looking, catching their Pokemon off guard and alerting Tsukumaro as he fought off his own grunts.
"Sir James! Miss Nikki-AGH!" he cried before he was grabbed hold and immobilized with his arms twisted behind his back.
Absol, the Lycanroc Couple, Lucario, and Dragonite didn't fare much better, either, as the Fighting/Steel, Dark, and Dragon Types were pinned down before Zipp's Garbodor slammed its fists down on Dusk and Luna's parents and immobilized them, away from their fellow Pokemon and trainers.
"That's right, fellas, pin 'em while they're down! Those rats didn't know what hit 'em, the suckers!" cackled Guzma as he watched.
"Urgh, a bunch of uncouth thugs like you, can't, think of, anything pleasant or diabolical, as, this!" groaned Tsukumaro as he struggled against his captors.
"You baddies are all alike, Guzma! You never, EVER, fight fair!" snarled James as he was held at arm's length with his hands now quickly tied up.
"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! It's always easier this way rather than duke it out in fair play," scoffed Guzma with another cackle.
"Besides, you goody-two-shoes twerps are always ungrateful. Didn't we go easy on your beloved dogs?" Plumeria sneered as she looked towards Dusk and Luna's parents trapped in Gardobor's filthy hands, who were barking and snarling like crazy to get away from their captors.
"Yes... Spared them so you can 'take them off our hands' and either claim them for yourselves again or sell them off for a few bucks from the black market," retorted Nikki with an irritated growl as she was also being tied up.
"But, your 'daughter' foiled our plans for the last time, Nikki darling," Tupp mocked slyly as he seductively got in her face. "She took what was rightfully ours and now, we're taking them back and we'll steal something precious to her in turn... You three..."
While Team Skull was busy interrogating their captors, Solar and Sarah reached their home before they gawked and quickly slunk to the nearby bushes to hide and eavesdrop on them before they make a plan. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Mom, Dad, Tsukumaro... I have to get to them-AIE!" Sarah gasped in horror.
She tried to sneak over to her adopted family and godfather before Solar bit on her shirt and pulled her down in the bushes to keep her from being so brash just as the rest of her Pokemon and the dragons joined them and saw what happened. "Those guys need to keep themselves occupied before we jump in. Otherwise, they'll pick us off when they hear you," he whispered.
"Alright, I can't believe it, though... I thought Team Skull would be out of my hair, by now..."
"You had a history with them?"
"Long story..."
They all tried to listen in as Guzma and Plumeria then spoke to their captors about something.
As they continued to eavesdrop, Sarah was getting all the more anxious; her adopted parents and her old family's advisor were technically Team Skull's prisoners after they were ambushed while they were gone and she felt like a sitting duck the longer she waited to act accordingly.
After a few more minutes of back-and-forth banter between the two groups, the young princess groaned before she got up and prepared to fight, taking her Beast-X Pokekey to use her powers. She knew she wasn't supposed to morph unless she was forced to but she felt like she could make an exception with her family's current situation.
Riolu, Mai, Solar, Blitz, and Silvally saw what she was trying to do and jumped her, dragging her back down and muffling her to keep her from blowing everyone's cover. One of the lower grunts turned and thought she heard something behind her gang but after a while and quietly thinking she heard a wild Pokemon just scurrying away from the wrong place at the wrong time, she shrugged and looked back towards her team's captors.
"Pika, Pika, Pi-Pi?!" hissed Blitz angrily through a whisper.
"Are you crazy, Mother? You nearly gave us away!" snapped Silvally as discretely as possible.
"Stop it, Mommy!" Riolu cried she desperately held her.
"Let go of me!" Sarah grunted.
"Not until you calm down!" Mai warned as quietly as she could.
"Sarah, control yourself! You looked as though you're signing your death warrant!" whispered Solar, exasperated.
"Solar, you guys can't expect me to wait things out and-!"
"Yes, you must!"
Solar quickly pinned her with his left paw and gave her the most intimidating glare he has which made her stop struggling and look intensely at him but her own glare didn't phase him as he continued to speak.
"Sarah, you're better than this. If you just go charging in and wail on them, your parents and Tsukumaro will think you've flipped your lid. You don't want Officer Jenny to hunt you down for that kind of stuff, do you? We can't be seen!"
Sarah irritability sighed at her Beast Bot, "I already lost my real parents to my Uncle and Team Eclipse and I am about to let history repeat itself with Team Skull and my parents and godfather!"
"That won't happen unless you learn to control yourself! You're letting your anger cloud your judgment and if you keep that up, you will eventually be the death of them!"
"Don't you think I already know that?!"
"Hey, I may not be with you long enough but I'm just trying to look out for you just as your family had!"
"My family's in the hands of those monsters! I have to do something!"
"Unless you calm down and think it through, you won't be able to help them!"
"Then, let's quit stalling and get 'em!" hissed the little princess as she forced Solar off her and decided to confront Team Skull herself, not wanting to argue anymore.
By now, as the interrogation between her family and Team Skull continued and started to get more dangerous, her patience had worn thin and she reached her boiling point at which she can no longer bear to hide on the sidelines and think things through, her anger taking control and the Lion DNA within her brewing as a lion's growl was heard as she gnashed her teeth.
"Sarah, wait!" Solar hissed quietly.
"Mommy, no!" cried Riolu, trying to be quiet.
Dusk and Luna followed suit, sharing her sentiments but for their parents, as the others looked on in growing fear and worry; they had never seen their foster mother/trainer in such a fit of rage before and the young princess they're seeing right now is starting to scare them.
"Guzma!" she bellowed.
All of Team Skull, Tsukumaro, Nikki, James, and their Pokemon froze and turned to the princess, her Sun Sword at hand and a dark glare in her eyes with Dusk and Luna baring their teeth and snarling, the sight of their captured parents making them seething.
"Well, what do you know? Right on time," Guzma smirked.
"At last, the royal pretty girl is here. Come to play with our new toys, little baby?" mocked Tupp. "You better enjoy them while you can 'cause we have a score to settle."
"I came here for my parents and my godfather. Put them and their Pokemon down and clear off!" Sarah threatened.
"Um, let us think... No," scoffed Rapp, smirking under her muffler. "We're gonna make millions out of these fine Pokemon here and we'll be leaving with our Lycanroc now."
"I said, hand them over. Them, my parents, my godfather, and their Pokemon; get your own and look after them instead of selling them for money."
"And, we're telling you, they're the property of Team Skull," retorted Zipp.
"Only because you captured them months ago and temporarily made their sons orphans as a result! I bet you don't even care about Pokemon, why Nanu would go through all that trouble to look after you, I'll never know!"
"That's for the old man and us to know and you to find out," Plumeria scoffed. "Relax, we're just here to complete a little errand involving your older Lycanroc. They've been gone for far too long and we believe it's time they head home, back to Po Town on Ula'Ula Island. I'm sure he won't mind, especially when we have you to put an end to."
"Their home is with me and my family and you can't have them back! Nanu won't approve of it if he heard!"
"Those overgrown puppies will be back with us before you know it by the mere memory of us and what we did to finally capture them!" snarled Guzma, slowly losing his patience.
"They'll never go with you, not as long as Luna, Dusk, and I are still breathing!"
"Ly, Roc!"
"Lycanroc, Roc, Roc!" Luna and Dusk bellowed furiously, their parents watching their sons worriedly.
"You know what, you bore me with that sentimental crap of yours!"
"Don't make us say this too many times!"
"Just scram and let us do our thing or you'll regret it!" snapped Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp.
Guzma just laughed. "HA! You can't resist us forever, Sarah, Baby. Team Skull won't back down this time; with every passing moment, our capture of the people you love leaves us with the upper hand here. All you need to do is join us and release your Lycanroc's parents to us and we'll let them go."
"I WOULD NEVER DO THAT, YOU IDIOTS!" screamed Sarah angrily.
"Ah... We've expected that from you, Kid," Guzma sighed with a knowing smirk. "You'll have plenty of time to consider our offer for your parents and the old geezer's lives... As you and those meddling puppies have a front-row seat to Team Skull's greatest show on earth, HA-HA-HA-HA!"
He then snapped his fingers as two bulky Team Skull grunts and their Pokemon immobilized Sarah, Dusk, and Lycanroc as they all struggled in vain to break free from their grasp. The others, still hiding in the bushes gasped from this, seeing how Sarah not only blew their only chance to save Dusk and Luna's parents as well as Nikki, James, their partners, Absol, and Tsukumaro but also allowed her anger to control her actions which led to her downfall, AGAIN.
"Oh, Plumy! I think we should entertain our guests by given their parents a hefty medical dose of pain to shake them from their hero streak!"
"Whatever you say, boss," Plumeria smirked back. "Alright, kids, let 'em have it."
"YEAH!" cheered the grunts with devilish glee.
Before long, Tupp, Zipp, Rapp, and their fellow grunts began to physically abuse and harass their captors to no end to make Sarah change her mind. Nikki, James, Tsukumaro, and their Pokemon held firm but they couldn't help but let out several grunts and yelps of pain as they were put through so much torture while Guzma and Pluermia looked on with malicious satisfaction.
The others, still hiding in the bushes, watched on in horror and dismay, feeling helpless and not knowing what to do after Sarah messed things up.
The little princess and her two younger Lycanroc started to thrash around, their own captors maintaining a firm grip on her, Luna, and Dusk as they were getting annoyed. One of Team Skull's Pokemon decided to take things one step further and decided to use an attack on Tsukumaro and Absol which was a Slash attack barrage, giving them several blade wounds and bruises.
"Tsukumaro, Absol!"
"Leave them alone!" James and Nikki barked in a panic.
"Pikapi!" Blitz cried in horror.
The little Mouse Pokemon couldn't help but fret in absolute worry for his trainer's adopted parents; they were once her only link to what happened to King Doug and Queen Delilah and if they're gone, there goes their strongest hope of finding them for Sarah.
Guzma smirked as he decided to step in, releasing his reenergized Golisopod and smarmily made his way to Sarah's adopted parents.
"I think personal discipline for me will do you good until you and your baby decide to hand our Lycanroc back to us," he whispered darkly with a smirk before he turned to his Water/Bug Type.
"Golisopod, give these two numbskulls a taste of your Razor Shell!"
"Goli!" Golisopod nodded before he unsheathed two bright blue blades from his arms and held them at cutting range at the two older trainers, snickering darkly.
"LYCAN!"
"ROC!" cried Dusk and Luna's parents to their trainers.
They also thrashed around, howling and yelping in horror and shock as if they begged Golisopod to spare them before he does anything to hurt them or kill them but the Hard Scale Pokemon just laughed as it raised its Razor Shells, preparing to finish them off.
This was all too much for Sarah as she looked at what Golisopod was to do to her adopted parents, her first real links to her real parents, in growing horror. She started to snarl darkly in her captors' grasp, her face darkening as her anger started to brew in a force unlike any other before. Her eyes started to glow as a mark of a roaring lion appeared on her left cheek.
She also felt her Lion DNA from Solar starting to grow intense with excessive power as she balled her hands and shook them fiercely in her rage. As she was about to explode, Luna and Dusk turned towards their foster mother, and suddenly, they felt their blood getting cold as they saw her looking like she was about to go ballistic on Team Skull, her parents preparing to be beaten having pushed her over the edge.
"...NOOOOOOOOOO!" she roared, having finally snapped.
At the same time, while she screamed, what sounded like a lion's roar was mixed in and nearly deafened everyone as they covered their ears and braced themselves from the unexpected shockwave that followed. Miraculously, nobody was immediately thrown back or lost their balance from the little princess' unexpected and explosive rage.
"What was that?!" Silvally screamed from his family's hiding place over the roar.
"Mommy!" Riolu cried, trying to run towards Sarah before Candy held her back.
Winter just cooed with deep worry for her rider, not knowing what to think, let alone do with Shadow nuzzling his mate in reassurance. But, his fear for Sarah was also apparent as he eyed her with increasing worry.
"Pika, Pi, Pika, Pikachu, Pi?!" Blitz fretting, starting to panic as he saw Sarah glowing in a bright transparent white aura.
Suddenly, she started to morph and change as a mark of a lion roaring proudly in the form of a lion's paw appeared on the side of her right shoulder. She slowly took on the form of a young adult lioness from Disney's The Lion King and The Lion Guard series but she was white all over with a cosmic blue fluff on her tail, three purple stripes on each of her legs, strange yellow face markings on her face, and her eyes now yellow and blue.
The sight of her as a lion made her adopted parents, Tsukumaro, their Pokemon, Dusk, and Luna as well as her family, still watching from the bushes gawk at her and her captors were forced to let go of her in fear as she growled.
"Mama!"
"Mother!"
"What's happening?!"
"Sarah... It's her Lion DNA! She's tapped into it with her anger and she transformed into a lioness! Oh, man, she's gone completely bananas!" Solar, Mai, Nebby, and Silvally gasped.
"Hey! Who's the pussy cat?" sniffed one grunt in disbelief.
"Don't tell me it's the brat?!" cried Tupp.
"What the hell's going on?" added Zipp.
"Hey, guys, what the hell is that?" Rapp whimpered, pointing to a cloud brewing from behind the princess.
Then, Sarah let out a powerful lions' roar and the clouds behind her turned into four roaring lions as well! The power and force of the Roar that it knocked Golisopod away from her adopted parents and into a tree!
"Golisopod!" Guzma gawked in absolute shock.
"Impossible, beaten by a kid beast's roar..." breathed Plumeria in utter disbelief, goggle-eyed.
Sarah then eyed Team Skull with an icy glare, her lioness eyes glaring dangerously at the gangsters responsible for putting her family through so much suffering at the best and worst of times. The grunts all started to shiver with intense fear, not knowing what to do and becoming scared after seeing her best their leader's Pokemon again.
"This looks bad!" Zipp freaked as he, Tupp, and Rapp huddled each other in a panic.
"I think we're done for, big bro!" Rapp cried, completely frightened.
Tupp couldn't get a word in as he kept a terrified gaze towards his greatest female rival; he looked like he was about to go pale and faint just by looking at her dead in the eye.
Plumeria scoffed but she felt a little uneasy just by seeing what Sarah had become in response to her anger towards her and the rest of Team Skull for their crime. "Salazzle, Golbat, don't just stand there! Get rid of her!" she screamed towards her Pokemon.
Golbat and Salazzle shook off their own shock and fear in response to their trainer's demands and carried them out before they were followed by the rest of Team Skull's Pokemon, not wanting to let Sarah get away with humiliating their trainers' leader and his Pokemon twice.
But, just as they were about to attack, Sarah snarled before she took a deep breath, concentrated her energy, and roared as loud as she could as she didn't want to put up with Team Skull again. A large soundwave came in the form of a sonic boom as she roared and the clouds behind her became four roaring lions again, the force of the blast catching them off guard as it started to pick them up before it lifted them into the air and threw them back towards Poni Island, making them scream and panic.
The little lion princess kept on roaring, her anger at her family's captors channeled through her powerful roar as it echoed all around.
The force of the blast was so great, it blew the Pokemon and Team Skull all the way back to Poni Island, completely catching them off guard and making them release Tsukumaro, Nikki, James, their Pokemon, Dusk, and Luna from their grasp. To their surprise, they were completely unaffected by the roar as it continued to echo across the region.
Sarah had managed to rescue them but unfortunately, she did it a little too well. As she continued to roar in her uncontrollable rage, the roar's massive power pulled off a few nearby trees that were soon dangling so dangerously from their original positions, they threatened to topple over and crash to the ground. It also caused several cracks along the ground and surprisingly, it was so loud that Ash and his friends along with Professors Kukui and Burnet and their Pokemon, who were playing together at the beach near the Pokemon School, jumped in shock and surprise at the roar echoing around them.
"What was that?!"
"It sounded like a roar!"
"And, it sounded like it's from a lion!"
"Or maybe a wild Pyroar!"
"But, Kiawe's Pyroar can't roar that loudly! No Pyroar can!"
"Well, then, who did it?" squabbled the six trainer students, flustered and taken aback from what they heard.
Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet, however, had a bad feeling brewing in them and upon remembering their students/friends' encounter with the Beast Morphers Rangers, knew what it could mean.
"You think Sarah tapped into her new Lion DNA, Kukui?" Burnet pondered.
"No doubt," Kukui nodded. "We better see what happened."
With Ash and the rest of the gang joining them, the Pokemon professor couple hurried off to Sarah and her family's house to see if they can help her with anything and find out more about the mysterious roar they all heard.
Back to Sarah; when she finally stopped roaring and panted heavily, she took in her family, their Pokemon, Dusk, Luna, and their parents being safe from harm but then, she gawked from the destruction around her.
While her adopted family's house was still intact, the area around them was left worse for wear after she unleashed her powerful roar at Team Skull with several medium and large-sized cracks scattered across the area. Some of the plants were scattered after being pulled from their spots and a few of the trees were tilting dangerously after their roots are pulled from the road. Some of the windows at the houses next door or around their neighborhood were cracked and some people were so startled from hearing her roar, they came out in a panic to see what's going on, only to find Team Skull and their Pokemon being blasted off out of Melemele Island.
Sarah was horrified by what she saw and what she did despite her noble intentions for her adopted family and godfather as her eyes shrunk like pinpricks as the devastation of her actions sunk in.
Nikki, James, Tsukumaro, all the Pokemon gathered, the dragons, and Solar all approached her carefully, not wanting to make her any madder than she already was but not knowing that she had calmed down and was devastated from the destruction she unintentionally caused. More than that, the three humans were worried when they saw how horrified she must've been at the destruction she caused just to protect them.
"Sarah, honey...?" Nikki quizzed quietly.
The little lion princess whimpered as she flinched, trying to back away from her, James, and Tsukumaro. "...Princess?" put in Tsukumaro, greatly concerned.
She looked at her adopted parents and godfather in the eye but with a hint of overwhelming shame; even if she managed to save them, how could she face them again after what she had unintentionally done despite stopping Team Skull from carrying out their revenge?
This was all too much for the little princess as she ran off, not wanting to face her family again after what she did.
"Ponchita! Wait, come back!"
"Honey!" cried Nikki and James.
Tsukumaro just looked on worriedly as Sarah ran until she was out of sight.
Her Pokemon and dragons along with Solar couldn't do anything to stop her as she ran away. They too were stunned and a little frightened by the immense power that the Lion DNA had given her after she managed to tap into it and that included her new form.
Deciding to figure out how to help Sarah out of her latest jam, they rejoined Tsukumaro, Nikki, James, and the freed Pokemon to recuperate themselves from what they had witnessed.
"Are you guys okay?" Solar asked.
"We are, Young Lion," Tsukumaro replied with a worried frown. "But, I'm most concerned for the princess. I know the damage done to this area was pretty bad but she only did it and did away with those ruffians just to protect us."
"What's going to happen to her?" Mai quivered with concern.
"I don't know, I never expected something like this to happen to Ponchita," James pondered, concerned.
"Do you think it had something to do with the Lion DNA she was infused with after she bonded with you, Solar?" Nikki asked the lion Beast Bot.
"I had a feeling when I saw her become a lion herself but I didn't know what powers my own DNA could have so I could only speculate," Solar confirmed. "I don't know how everybody else is gonna take it when they hear about this."
"Hey! Nikki, James, Tsukumaro!" called a familiar voice.
Everybody turned to see Kukui, Burnet, and the Alola Gang along with their partners rushing over to them but they also gawked at the sight of the devastation from Sarah's powerful roar following her transformation and latest tussle with Team Skull.
"Buckin' Mudbrays! What happened to this place?!" gasped Kiawe.
"I've heard of a wild Pokemon or two using Earthquake to some extent but this can't be from a wild Pokemon of sorts!" Mallow put in.
"Looks like a whole pack of Bewear wrecked everything like a giant Poke-typhoon!" Sophocles observed in shock.
"This is terrible!" Lana breathed.
"What happened to you, are you okay?" Lillie asked.
"Hey, wait a minute, where's Sarah?" Ash asked.
Nikki, James, Tsukumaro, the Pokemon, and the dragons all squirmed with worried frowns and faces. They knew that Ash, the others, Kukui, and Burnet would find out about Sarah's new power one way or another and they did promise to contact Commander Shaw and the Beast Morphers Rangers about it and her Lion DNA if anything happened.
Not sure who would be the one to break the bad news to them, Solar decided to step up and tell them. "She's gone," he told them sheepishly with a sad tone to his voice.
Tsukumaro nodded grimly, "I'm afraid she's been traumatized by whatever she did to save us from Team Skull after they ambushed us to get their revenge on Sarah as well as take back Young Dusk and Young Luna's parents."
"You just missed her when she ran away, most likely terrified of how we would've reacted to saving her given the devastation she unintentionally caused around here," added Nikki quietly as a worried James held her.
Everyone barring Sarah's family-Pokemon, adopted, and godfather-gasped in shock, realizing that what happened with Lillie and Gladion months ago repeated but this time, with Sarah following her shocking outburst.
"Disappeared?!"
"Ran away?"
"It can't be!"
"But, why?!"
"I don't understand!"
"There's no way Sarah could've done this!" the gang denied in shock and disbelief.
"Did it have something to do with her powers?" Kukui asked worriedly.
Solar nodded solemnly, "Long story, we'll fill you in on everything. After, we find Sarah and tell her this wasn't her fault, though."
The married professor couple nodded knowingly. "All right, in the meantime, I'll go to the Command Center and call Lusamine and Commander Shaw immediately. They'll want to know about this and we need Nate's help. This could be the answer we're looking for," Burnet suggested.
"While you're doing that, we'd better go and find Sarah and fast!" Kukui nodded. "Leave no stone unturned until she's back with us safely!"
"Right!" the group shouted, beginning their search.
With everybody doing their utmost to search for Sarah since they know she couldn't get far in her new form, they could only hope to find her and learn more about her lion power before it could lead to trouble not only for everyone else but also for her.
As her family and friends began their search for her, Sarah ran deep into the mountain forest leading to and bordering the Ruins of Conflict where she was sure nobody can find her. After running for several minutes without stopping, she came across a large cave near a clearing and rushed inside to wallow in her own mistake and collect herself before returning to her family and friends.
She wouldn't be surprised if all of Alola had heard her roar and would be getting into a frenzy over spinning her actions if there were any witnesses around that saw what became of the area around her neighborhood in her anger-filled haste to stop Team Skull.
The entire incident following her rash and selfish decision to confront Guzma, Plumeria, Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp along with the other grunts kept playing in her mind and caused tears of shame and self-loathing to come to her eyes, the lioness continuing to hate herself for what she did. She wasn't sure if she can look everyone in the eye after what she did. For now, she didn't want to be found, she just wants to be left alone to recollect herself and come to grips with what happened.
But, as she was completely lost in her own misery, she had no idea that she wasn't alone.
Out of the darkness, there were some soft croons coming from within the cave but Sarah had been crying so much that she couldn't hear the owners of them before they revealed themselves to be a quartet of dragons that had made the cave their home.
The first of the new dragons had long horns and spines snaking along its back with a bright blue, yellow, and orange color scheme to contrast them and was about 75 ft. long from nose to tail. The dragon was classified as a Death Song.
The second of the quartet, a female, was 72 ft. from nose to tail instead. It had similar features to the male Death Song but unlike the first dragon, its wings were much smaller and it had a different wing pattern. Its lower jaw on its face was a little wider and it had dark spots around its eyes. The most striking contrasts between them, however, came down to the female dragon's blue main body skin and scales as well as its black stripes and patterns, thinner legs, and larger and thicker back spines. The female dragon was a close relative to the Death Song known as a Slithersong.
Finally, the last two dragons were virtually twins compared to the Slithersong and the Death Song and were actually much younger than the previous two. They were both 28 ft. long in length and had long, sharp tusks protruding out from their lower jaws with a row of armored plates lining across their backs. Their body coloration is mainly red with black stripes merging with black spots and they had bright yellow eyes. Their tails were telescopic and they were each tipped with a venomous stinger, similar to the stingers found on scorpions. They also have jagged, razor-sharp pincers resembling those found on a praying mantis in place of their front legs and their back legs were shorter and thinner with only two claws at the foot front of each leg. The younger dragon pair was known to be part of the highly aggressive dragon species known as Deathgrippers.
When they saw Sarah enter their cave and start crying her eyes out, they were tempted to attack her and get her out of what looked to be their home. But, when they heard how miserable she was after hearing her heavy sobbing and looking at her tears, they felt their hearts breaking to see her looking so vulnerable for some reason. They couldn't bear to hurt her after seeing her in such a state.
Given whatever the lion girl did before she came to their home was enough to make her so miserable, they could tell that something was horribly wrong.
The female Slithersong couldn't bear to watch the white lioness continue to wallow in her misery and, taking the initiative to stay by her side until she was ready to speak to them, she kindly crawled over to her side and wrapped herself around her before giving her a gentle nuzzle and mother's croon.
The young princess didn't see the dragons after finding their cave and deciding to hide in it without their knowledge of her but despite not knowing about them, as miserable as she is and continuing to loathe herself over her previous mistake, she accepted the Slithersong's comfort.
The other three dragons soon followed, not wanting to see the little lioness continue crying like that, as they joined the Slithersong and took their places to comfort her and keep her company. The younger Deathgrippers crooned quietly as they snuggled against Sarah from her right while the male Death Song rested with the female Slithersong and rested his head gently on Sarah's back.
Whether Sarah knew it or not, she had gained new friends who decided to help her in her latest hour of darkness even if she didn't ask for or know about it. It was only the beginning of a brand new friendship between her and the new dragons that would change her once again for the better, regardless of whatever's thrown at her.
Meanwhile, after Sarah blasted them back to Po Town, Team Skull was eventually recovering from their latest bout of humiliation and defeat from the one person they despised in the entire world. Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp were steaming as they angrily paced around in the old mansion in Guzma's room, fuming from their group's loss while the main man himself and Plumeria tried to wrap their heads around the previous incident. None of them knew about the Lion DNA she now carried so they had no idea what had happened.
"I can't believe them!" snapped Tupp.
"I can't believe her, that brat of a princess!" Rapp seethed. "If she hadn't become a Pyroar or whatever, we would've finally beaten her!"
"We had the perfect plan in order and nothing went wrong until she showed up," agreed an angry Zipp. "I can't take everybody making fun of us after getting our be-hinds whomped over and over again anymore!"
"That transformation into that thing wasn't a coincidence," continued Tupp, still hopping mad. "But, how was she able to become a Pyroar before our very eyes? What could've caused it?"
"If I may interject, you three stooges," Plumeria began, coolly as usual. "That wasn't a Pyroar she turned into, a female Pyroar had its mane in a thin ponytail of some sort and it certainly wasn't white all over. Did you also see a mane on her let alone hear a roar as loud as that?"
"Wait a minute, you're right!" Zipp gasped in realization. "If that wasn't a Pyroar she turned into, then what was it a lion of some sort?"
"I've been doing research in and out on other creatures that roamed our world in addition to Pokemon including the kings and queens of the jungle, lions," Rapp put in. "If that brat turned into a lioness how was she even able to do so?"
"Well, whatever it is, we're not letting her off the hook, Sis!" Tupp interrupted. "That brat's going to pay for making fools out of us again and we're getting those Lycanroc back if it's the last thing we do! What should we do now, boss?!"
"...Nothing, we'll lay low, for now," Guzma decided, to Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp's shock.
"Have you decided what to do, big guy?" Plumeria asked.
"We're way out of our league in this one. We're a strong force in the Alola Region given our reputation and what we are in our battles and what's more, that insolent rascal has gotten stronger and in such a short span of time throughout the past couple of months, let alone a year. But, what we've seen out of her today got me thinking, we should confront her when she's at her most vulnerable. Sure, she may have beaten us through her anger but what if she were to go beserk after we push her buttons and make her lash out in front of everybody?"
Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp were intrigued. "Oh..."
"What's more, Sarah's gained a powerful force in not just her Pokemon but also those flying lizards who hang out with her and her meddling mates. And, she also gets her strength from her friends as well as her family. You know that Pokemon League thing that my old rival and friend-turned-enemy, Professor Kukui, is working on as of now, right? Well, I'm thinking we can take them out by enrolling in the competition and boot them out until we get to her and Kukui. Once we defeat her and I take out Kukui, the name of Team Skull will be restored and nobody will laugh at us again after that once one of us is the champion. Also, it'll give me the perfect opportunity to settle the score with Kukui, once and for all."
"You're still holding a grudge against that Poke-brainiac for what happened before?" Plumeria inquired.
"He owed me for what he did back then. He betrayed me and I'm willing to give him a piece of my mind for ruining me all those years ago... I'm waited far too long for this moment to come and now, I'm gonna make the chicken that he is come home to roost."
"But, what about Sarah? What'll we do with her?" Rapp reminded.
"Regarding the fact that her strength also came from her friends as well as her family and herself, we'll solely deal with them. If we target them whenever possible and if they have nothing better to do, we'll see what they're made of and if that brat can handle us now."
Interested in that idea, Tupp, Zipp, Plumeria, and Rapp agreed as they went downstairs to tell their fellow grunts the news while Guzma walked over to the window and stared out into the distance, his gaze piercing through the walls bordering Po Town as he thought back to Sarah and Prof. Kukui. He even thought back to what the two had been through before whatever happened between them caused them to separate and make him develop a grudge against him.
"Just you and that brat wait, Kukui..." he sighed, frowning.
Dusk had fallen on everyone once again but after a long day of searching and despite honeycombing the entirety of Melemele Island, nobody had found Sarah and it was already getting late. Ash, the others, and Sarah's entire family had to regroup at Iki Town and meet with Hala, hoping that he can help them figure out where she had run off just as he did to clue them in on Nebby's origins during their rescue mission for Lusamine.
"I see, so that's what that sonic boom was," Hala contemplated after hearing everything. "And, did it really take a toll on her after that, Solar?"
"Yeah, I guess seeing the destruction from her roar despite saving her parents and Tsukumaro as well as those older Lycanroc did her in," nodded the lion beast bot. "It was all too much for her when she realized how much of a threat she is to everyone in her new form."
He sighed heavily, feeling remorseful for his partner. "It's all my fault, really. I indirectly bonded her with my Lion DNA after she found me and now look where it's gotten her."
"Hey, come on, Solar! Don't beat yourself up," Ash encouraged with a frown.
"Yeah, it's not your fault Sarah became a lion and accidentally destroyed anything around her on sight," Sophocles agreed. "Team Skull provoked her and there was nothing you guys could've done to stop her and save her family and Dusk and Luna's parents another way."
"But, it was my animal DNA that got her in this mess in the first place!" Solar denied, frustrated with himself. "None of us knew what powers she got after it merged with her Solgaleo DNA and we're already in a jam! No doubt those stupid media pundits would already be having a field day spinning the whole thing for a story if they found out, eventually."
"Forget about that! What's more important is we find Sarah before we have a riot on our hands!" Ash demanded.
"Listen, Solar, this wasn't your fault, it never was," Kukui reassured. "And, I agree with Ash. We must find Sarah or who knows what'll happen to her."
"And, it's getting late by the looks of it," Burnet replied, having arrived from the Command Center. "I've called Lusamine and Commander Shaw about everything and they agreed to find out and explain everything at Coral Harbor tomorrow. Did you find Sarah?"
"Nope, not yet," Kiawe answered sadly.
"It's like she doesn't want to be found, after all," Lillie pondered worriedly.
"I don't know if we can find her. We've looked through every part of the island and we left no stone unturned trying to find out where she is," Mallow sighed. "I'm thinking we should just give up, leave her alone for a little while longer until she's ready."
"Don't be so sure, kids," Hala reassured kindly, much to their surprise.
"What?"
"Well, while you were looking for her like she was a needle in a haystack, I happened to notice her while I was working on my new Z-Rings. I heard the roar from earlier as well and a few minutes later, I've noticed what looked to be a white lion running past my house into the forest leading to the Ruins of Conflict."
"The Ruins of Conflict?" everyone gasped in surprise.
"Why would she go there?" Lillie asked.
"I don't know but we need to find out if she's really there before she hurts herself," Mallow put in.
"We need some sort of a tracker or-not now, Skystorm, we-!" Sophocles replied to Skystorm gently nuzzling him. The Electric Type student then gasped as he snapped his fingers in realization. Of course, how could he and the others have been so stupid not to realize it sooner? They do have the means to find Sarah and get her out of trouble faster and they were standing next to it the whole time in the form of a dragon!
He then turned to Tskumaro, now smiling brightly, "Hey, Tsukumaro! What kind of class of dragon did you say Skystorm is from?"
Tsukumaro raised a confused eyebrow at him, "She's from the Tracker Class, why?"
"Yes! It all makes sense, we do have a tracking device to find Sarah and she's right here!" Sophocles told everybody excitedly.
Everybody gasped in realization as well; maybe Skystorm can find and lead them to Sarah using her keen sense of smell.
"That's it!" Nikki cried.
"Why didn't we think of it before?" James added in agreement.
"Sophocles, you're a genius!" Mallow cheered.
"You're smart!" said Lana.
"Sophocles, you've done it again!" Kiawe complemented proudly.
"Yeah, we can give Skystorm something that belonged to Sarah so she can track her down more easily!" Ash realized.
"And, once she picks up her scent, she'll lead us to where she is in the forest leading to the Ruins of Conflict!" smiled Lillie brightly.
"Well done, Sophocles, I couldn't have put it better myself!" commended Prof. Kukui.
"That's why you're the brains of this team," smirked Burnet with pride.
"Aww, it was nothing," chuckled Sophocles bashfully before he became determined. "Now, all we need is something of Sarah's for Skystorm to sniff at and we'll let her do the rest."
Mai slinked up to Sophocles and Skystorm as she held what looked to be her good luck charm by her shadow arm which fell off of Sarah after she had transformed and the string holding it ripped off. "I have this thingy that belonged to Sarah. Do you think the nice dragon can smell it?" she questioned, handing it to him.
"Perfect!" Sophocles cried as he took the charm.
He then held up for Skystorm to sniff for Sarah's scent, "Okay, Skystorm, here's her good luck charm. Put your nose to work."
The female dragon nodded with a determined grunt before she carefully smelled it for her rider's scent. It took only a total of 10 whole seconds for her to get a lock on it before she jolted and swiftly pointed to the path and cave leading towards the Ruins of Conflict and the woods preceding it.
"Hey, Skystorm's pointing to the cave leading towards the Ruins of Conflict!" Ash gasped.
"Do you think she made it to the Ruins of Conflict while she was running?" Lana inquired.
"Skystorm's sense of smell wouldn't lie if she did," Kukui answered.
Following Skystorm as she sniffed and searched the path leading to the Ruins of Conflict, the large group kept their eyes and ears open for Sarah, hoping that she hadn't gotten far from them as well as trying to see if she's anywhere leading to the ruins.
They looked through every spot along the path for their missing princess but it looked as though they were still on a wild goose chase and if Skystorm's sense of smell wasn't as reliable as Sophocles made it out to be.
Then, as they drew closer to the Ruins of Conflict, taking great care to cross over an old wooden bridge bordering a waterfall, the Tracker dragon suddenly perked up and sniffed rapidly as she pointed herself in several directions. It looked as though as she had gotten a stronger smell of Sarah's scent and she was close, much closer than they originally thought which gave everybody hope as they tried to run after her when she started to sprint to her rider's possible location.
Before long, they came across the cave where the female Slithersong, the male Death Song, and their Deathgripper younglings were resting at. But, to their surprise and relief, they found Sarah, still in Lioness Form, completely exhausted after sobbing herself to sleep and in the comfort of the dragons in question.
"Look, there she is!" cried Ash, starting to run towards them.
"Wait! What are those things there?" Mallow shouted, trying to stop the Kanto Trainer.
"Ash, stop!" James cried, reaching a panicked hand.
"Come back!" begged Nikki.
But, Ash didn't stop, he was too relieved to see Sarah again. He didn't bother to notice the dragons resting with her.
Suddenly, the female Slithersong twitched upon hearing Ash's movements and opened a sleepy eye to find him running towards the lioness and her family.
"Hey! Sarah!" Ash called.
The Slithersong jolted and landed in front of him with her left wing spread out in front of Sarah to shield her from him, thinking he was a threat, baring her teeth and growling at him.
"WAAAHHHHH!" screamed Ash, skidding to a stop in his panic.
"PIKAPI!" shouted Pikachu in horror as he rushed off to protect his best friend.
"Pika!" Blitz cried before he ran after Pikachu, not wanting his fellow Electric Type to do anything stupid.
The Kanto Trainer managed to stop and land on his butt, a mere ten inches away from the Slithersong as she snarled dangerously to make him run away and not hurt the lioness she's protecting. Now, he finally realized that he was in the presence of more dragons around Sarah and one of them wasn't too happy to see him.
The male Death Song then woke up from the Slithersong's growling and Ash's frightened scream and noticed him in front of her before he shot up and joined her with the Deathgrippers still resting with their new friend. He also let out a threatening growl, also thinking he had come to hurt Sarah. What the two of them didn't realize was that Ash was her friend and he wasn't really a threat to her, to begin with.
"Hey, wait a minute! I'm sorry," he begged, trying to get up. "I didn't mean to scare you, I was just here looking for a friend."
The Slithersong narrowed her eyes at him, as if she was asking him why or what he wants with Sarah. She knew he was talking about the lioness she and the Death Song were protecting but they didn't know about her being friends with him.
"Oh, my friends and I were just looking for her. See, she ran off after transforming into a lioness and we need to get her back and see what happened after she protected her family from Team Skull."
The two dragons tilted their heads in confusion but they kept their wings spread to hide Sarah from view. They had no idea about Team Skull or who they are but that didn't matter to them as they thought he was going to hurt her.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, spreading out his arms in defense as he reached Ash. "Pika, Pika, Pikachu, Pikachu, Pika!"
He tried to beg them to let him and Ash see Sarah but the two dragons wouldn't budge an inch.
The Slithersong growled at Pikachu, telling him to leave the cave and not hurt the lioness she and her family were safeguarding from whatever could be after her. The male Death Song nodded in agreement, sharing the female dragon's sentiments.
Pikachu was aghast by this and he quickly spoke up, "Pi, Pikachu, Pika, Pi, Pikachu, Chi, Pi, Pi!"
The Death Song didn't believe Pikachu pleading for them to move aside and let them see Sarah and growled at him, telling him that no matter what he and his human try to do, they wouldn't hand her over unless they can be sure that whoever wants Sarah wouldn't dare hurt her.
Pikachu was shocked before he snarled back with a glare, his patience towards the dragons starting to wear thin.
He then demanded that the dragons move so he and Ash can retrieve Sarah but once again, they refused to budge. Pikachu snarled dangerously but as his cheeks sparked and he started to attack...
"PI!" Blitz shouted, ensnaring Pikachu using Electro Web before a fight could break out between him and the dragons.
The two dragons, Pikachu, and Ash turned to see Blitz immediately running towards them and sighing with relief to see that he arrived just in time. He also had a feeling that the dragons before him, Pikachu, and Ash were responsible for his trainer being safe after she ran away.
Everyone else, meanwhile, immediately caught up to them and they were surprised to see the Death Song and Slithersong confronting Ash and the Mouse Pokemon but they held their breath, not wanting to make them mad and notice their presence. It seemed like things were going roughly with the trio that came across the older dragons.
"PIKA!" Pikachu snapped angrily at Blitz.
"Chu, Pika, Pika, Pi, Pikachu, Pi, Pi!" argued Blitz, wanting to avoid having a conflict with the new dragons.
The argument between the two male Mouse Pokemon went back and forth for a few seconds before Blitz took the initiative to try and reason with the dragons to let him see his partner.
"Pika, Pi, Pikachu, Pi, Pika," he began kindly with a bow.
The dragons were intrigued by Blitz's manners and they bowed back in return, growling gently as if asking him what he wants with them. They had a feeling that he was also looking for the lioness they were guarding but as he spoke to them about what he and his friends were doing before meeting them and they looked into his eyes, they found no trace of malice and only concern and worry in them. They were most surprised when the Mouse Pokemon detailed what happened with Sarah during his and his family's latest encounter with Team Skull and her transformation to a lioness.
"Pi, Pika, Pikapi, Pika! Pikachu, Pi, Pikachu. Pi, Pi, Pi?" finished Blitz, asking if the Death Song and Slithersong had seen Sarah running by.
The Slithersong and her mate looked at each other and growled quietly, debating with each other as to whether or not Blitz can be trusted. They looked to Blitz, then to Ash and Pikachu, and finally, they took notice of the entire group behind them watching them all carefully and from a safe distance. They could also see the same desperation and worry they shared with Blitz for Sarah in their eyes, realizing that they were looking for their friend or daughter/goddaughter who could be in trouble.
Despite her worries for the lioness, the female Slithersong nodded gently to Blitz's question before she and her mate stood aside and lifted their right and left wings to reveal Sarah, still as a lioness, sleeping and with the younger Deathgrippers curled around her in their slumber.
Relieved and overjoyed that his human partner hadn't gone far and she was safe and sound, he quietly went over to her and gently touched her head. But, as his left paw made contact, Sarah curled up tighter, flinching with a whimper and making him reel back in surprise.
"Pika...?" Blitz pondered worriedly.
The Slithersong growled sadly, telling him that she's not feeling her best at the moment despite knowing his concern.
Blitz gently deflated with a sad frown, "Pikapi...?"
The Slithersong just nodded; she may not want to disturb her family's unexpected guest but she knew that she had to tell the lioness that the little Mouse Pokemon before her had been looking for her and wants to talk to her, which was the only way the four dragons can know what caused her to be such a wreck in the first place. Those who would be after her may have been worried for her for a reason. Eventually, against her better judgment, the Slithersong gently nudged Sarah, carefully getting her to wake up and see her little yellow friend.
Finally, Sarah managed to fully open her eyes and saw Blitz feeling immensely relieved but concerned for her as he raised his left paw to touch her again. But, she just whimpered and flinched back again, fearing that she'll go bonkers again and end up nearly killing him by mistake.
Solar gently came forward and joined them and the dragons, much to the reptiles' surprise from seeing the beast bot, as he could see how frightened his partner was of herself as she is.
"Blitz's she's terrified right now," Solar put in, badly worried. "I don't know how we're going to get her out and make her look us in the eye over everything."
"I think this is where we come in," replied James, he, Tsukumaro, and Nikki coming from behind them.
"What do you mean?"
"She only became like this out of fear for us and her hatred for Team Skull. Don't forget, Guzma and his lackeys attacked us first," said Nikki.
"I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt anybody with her new power. She was pushed to a particular breaking point and it all came to a head for her which lead her into becoming this," Tsukumaro added.
"Then, how are you gonna get her to come back? She won't respond to any of us and you know how she's feeling right now."
"That doesn't mean we can't try, Solar, my boy."
The old advisor then turned to the dragons and said, "I suppose you would let us have a go at convincing her, friends?"
The Death Song and Slithersong quietly debated with each other before they turned to the three adults and nodded in approval, also telling them to be careful when approaching her on account of her currently broken state.
"Honey..." Nikki began, gently.
"Ponchita...?" James asked, carefully reaching towards her.
Sarah, however, just continued to flinch and tried to squirm back. The incident involving her new roar was still burned into her mind and she didn't want to repeat it with deadly consequences compared to what she did before. Nikki and James looked at each other worriedly, they couldn't get through to her even if they tried and reassured her that she wasn't at fault after saving them.
Tsukumaro realized this and he decided to go towards her gently, sitting next to her and caressing her head tenderly. This action caused the younger Deathgrippers to stir themselves awake and look at him in surprise but when they started to attack, thinking that he could be a threat to Sarah, he spoke quietly to her and drew their attention as he pointed to where the sun is setting.
"Look there, it's beautiful, ain't it?" Tsukumaro began, directing Sarah towards the sunset still going on. "I'll never forget the first time I saw that beautiful sunset, a sunrise, actually... Right when I first crossed over to this time period for your safety, it'll be nice to see it again once the world, this region, is at peace again. It'll be all the more better with you beside me..."
Sarah purred quietly, she thought Tsukumaro would be afraid of or angry at her but he just smiled like the incident never happened.
"I don't know if you know, Sarah... But, when you were born, Delilah and Doug made me your godfather..."
Sarah nodded, having known ever since he revealed who he is to her following one of their previous clashes with Lothor and Team Eclipse. She was reeling from the revelation for days but she was still glad to know that a part of her old family is with her.
"...Well, given how much you've been through and the fact that you're born to royalty... If you really want to, I'd-Well, uh... I, I can understand if you would choose to stay with Nikki and James let alone your friends after we find your parents..."
Sarah's widened as she turned to her godfather, tilting her head in surprise from the offer he gave and asking, through her eyes, if she could live with him and her birth family for the chance of having a real family. It was as if she was given a second chance of having a real parent and family after having lost her old ones to time and Lothor's machinations all those years ago.
Tsukumaro just chuckled from her surprise, "Well, I suppose I understand if you don't want to leave Nikki and James nor your friends, until then..."
The little lioness just smiled knowingly before she turned towards his wounds from Team Skull and started to lick them while giving a sad and worried frown, hoping that he wasn't too badly hurt by Guzma and his minions nor by her roar.
Her godfather just smiled kindly as he wrapped an arm around her head and brought her to his chest, gently rubbing her to soothe her from her fears. He knew what his goddaughter was thinking, remembering the entire incident back at their home.
"I'm fine, child. You saved us despite causing a lot of havoc but I promised your parents that you would be safe with me as your godfather... Nothing will ever come between us and your two families. I'll make sure of that..."
Sarah whimpered again as small tears welled in her eyes and gently nuzzled him in relief and overwhelming happiness. Satisfied that he was able to get through to her in a way, he turned to Nikki and James and nodded with a gentle smile, persuading them to join them.
The two adopted parents smiled in relief, not needing to be told twice as they carefully joined him and their daughter, the young lioness purring quietly and feeling relieved to know she didn't do them any harm.
The others watched on in satisfaction and relief, it seemed those dragons, as well as Tsukumaro and Blitz, had managed to get through to her and make her realize that she's not an enemy after the incident with Team Skull. In fact, this renewed their determination to look after and protect her from Lothor and Team Eclipse should they try to ambush her and her family as well.
The four cave dragons looked on with soft smiles, seeing Tsukumaro managing to soothe her with very few words and actions without causing a panicked stir in her. They were impressed with the old advisor despite not knowing the human.
"Pika, Pikachu, Pik, Pi, Pika," Blitz replied, telling them that he had a way with understanding her that some people can't tell. The dragons just nodded, their soft grins still on their faces.
It took some time to get Sarah back to Grid Battleforce the following day so she could be changed back into a human but with Commander Shaw and the Beast Morphers Rangers' help, they managed to get her over to their headquarters and Nate's lab with no trouble and they managed to do so without causing a panic. This also included trying to explain to everybody on Melemele Island how the incident involving the roar wasn't Sarah's fault but an act of self-defense and an accident involving a Pyroar (which was a lie generously made by Hala so nobody would become suspicious of Sarah's Lion DNA) before the gang had to leave for Coral Harbor.
Right now, as the little lion princess was resting in a lab bed, Nate was going over her Lion DNA and what Lusamine, Burnet, and Wicke told him and his team about her transformation and the roar that followed.
"Well, it looks like her Lion DNA must've finally kicked in. Thankfully, when it did, she didn't make contact with the Evox Virus so we can rule out Evox and his cronies," began the ranger genius. "If anything, it must've been triggered by her own anger over Team Skull attacking her family and trying to break her for revenge."
"Sounds like Team Skull's ambush and pummeling Nikki, James, Tsukumaro, and their Pokemon must've made her go bananas until she couldn't take it anymore and became a lioness in the process," Ravi concluded, who joined Nate in the lab along with Devon, Zoey, Steel, Solar, Tsukumaro, and the Ultra Rescue Rangers to hear the results.
"We should all be very lucky that only a small part of Melemele Island got trashed after she blew away Team Skull," Zoey said, relieved that nothing too serious had gotten down.
"Yeah, who knows what'll happen if the rest of Alola got caught up in that roar," Mallow agreed quietly.
"Can't argue with that," replied Lana in agreement.
"But, what about that lion's roar, anyway?" Ash asked, confused. "I've never heard anything crazy like that."
"Not even a Pyroar can match that. What do you think might've happened," Kiawe pondered to Nate.
"I've looked into it and what I found was phenomenal and yet unbelievable at the same time. The Roar that she used to save her family was a mystical animal power known as the Roar of the Elders. No records were made on it since nobody has ever seen or heard about it over the years. Whenever somebody uses the Roar, either lion or human, four ancient lions appear from the heavens in the form of clouds and roar alongside its user, instilling extremely powerful soundwaves from it. From what I gathered from whatever ancient writings exist on it, whenever it's used out of anger, regardless of the user's intent, the clouds become dark and stormy, thus causing mass destruction. What's worse, there's a high-level risk that it'll rebound like an echo, which causes natural disasters such as earthquakes."
Nate turned to Tsukumaro, remembering Burnet's conversation with him, Lusamine, Commander Shaw, and Wicke about the Roar and the recent Team Skull incident. "Given what Prof. Burnet told us, Tsukumaro, was that what happened back there?" he asked.
"That's exactly what happened, Young Nate," he confirmed.
"So, that roar's literally a double-edged sword. If Sarah's not careful, she could potentially hurt someone by mistake when using it out of anger," Devon mused.
"Since that's the case, it'll take a while for her to become human again given that energy surge she got from her first transformation," Nate nodded.
"Well, how long will it take for her to change back to her old self again?" Sophocles asked.
Nate sighed, "With anything to help calm her down, we'll be fine as long as we don't get on her bad side. But, the funny thing about it is her transformation, one that I haven't begun to fully wrap my head around."
"What do you mean, Nate?" asked Lillie, confused.
"The writings detail that the lion's paw mark that I found on her right shoulder gave her the Roar of the Elders but her transformation into the lioness before us was caused by her Lion DNA making her someone called an Animagus," Nate answered thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.
"Animagus?" Ash and the others repeated in confusion.
"What's an Animagus?" Zoey asked.
"Beats me," Devon replied.
"Yeah," Ravi nodded.
"Hey, bro, wasn't this touched upon by that movie about a boy wizard we once watched for Movie Night?" Steel inquired. "You know, the third one? I think it was called...Order of the Phoenix, if I recall correctly."
Nate nodded with an amused smile towards his Beast Bot brother. "Prisoner of Azkaban, but good guess. Anyway, what I remembered from the scene featuring Professor Snape teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts and read from the writings told me that an Animagus is a person who can transform into an animal and back at will," he explained.
"That being said, it's a difficult form of magic to learn, let alone use. It usually takes time, skill, and patience to even begin to learn how to become an Animagus but the process is difficult and very sketchy since there are so many things that can go wrong if it's not handled correctly. I think Sarah's transformation is purely accidental."
"You think it had something to do with her going crazy at Team Skull after seeing her family getting beat up by them?" Sophocles inquired.
"Yeah, her anger must've caused her Lion DNA to awaken her new ability prematurely which lead to the destruction around her neighborhood. If I were you, I'd be careful and do whatever you can to help her make sure she doesn't lose herself by any means necessary. If she goes unchecked once her power's kicked in again, who knows what'll happen?"
"So, what'll we do?" Lana asked cautiously.
"For now, just keep an eye on her as best you can. If her righteous fury can be controlled, it'll do her good to exercise restraint. I know it's not much but it's all that I can give."
Everyone nodded before looking towards Sarah, resting peacefully on her bed until she would be returned to her human form and deemed well enough to return to the Alola Region. Even the four new dragons nodded in agreement as Shadow looked to them with the same warning, hoping that everyone wouldn't have a repeat of what the Team Skull incident from earlier. Despite being excited about her new powers being revealed, they couldn't help but be wary and worried for her should she lose control of her abilities during the worst of times to come.
"A new revealed power from Sarah's Lion DNA, has given her two powerful powers, the Roar of the Elders and Animagus. Now how will these gifts aid her in her battle against Team Eclipse? Find out as the journey continues..."
Sarah's Team:
1. Pikachu
Moves - Thundershock, Tackle, Thunderpunch, Double Team, Thunderbolt, Electroweb
2. Lycanroc (Dusk Form)
Moves - Rock Throw, Bite, Tackle, Rock Slide, Protect, Accelarock, Outrage
3. Lycanroc (Midnight Form)
Moves - Rock Throw, Bite, Tackle, Protect, Rock Slide, Outrage
4. Silvally
Moves - Crush Claw, Air Slash, Hyper Beam, Swords Dance, Dragon Claw, Multi Attack, Tri Attack
5. Mudsdale
Moves - High Horsepower, Double Kick, Mud Slap, Bulldoze, Iron Head
6. Wooloo
Moves - Wild Charge, Tackle, Electro Ball, Volt Tackle
7. Ponyta (Galar Form)
Moves - Dazzling Gleam, Moonblast, High Horsepower, Heal Pulse, Psybeam
8. Meowth (Alola Form)
Moves - Thunderbolt, Scratch, Iron Tail, Dark Pulse
9. Brionne
Moves - Pound, Water Gun, Icy Wind, Bubblebeam, Aqua Jet
10. Milotic
Moves - Dragon Pulse, Ice Beam, Twister, Mirror Coat
11. Flaffy (Shiny)
Moves - Thunderbolt, Confuse Ray, Power Gem, Signal Beam, Discharge, Iron Tail
12. Sylveon
Moves - Tackle, Tail Whip, Copycat, Shadow Ball, Light Screen
13. Sliggoo
Moves - Water Gun, Protect, Tackle, Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse
14. Noctowl
Moves - Wing Attack, Foresight, Air Slash, Confusion
15. Meowstic (Male)
Moves - Helping Hand, Psyshock, Light Screen, Future Sight, Dark Pulse
16. Meowstic (Female)
Moves - Heal Pulse, Psyshock, Dark Pulse, Future Sight
17. Snivy
Moves - Vine Whip, Leaf Storm, Twister, Leaf Blade
18. Oshawott
Moves - Water Gun, Razor Shell, Icy Wind, Iron Tail
19. Tepig
Moves - Flamethrower, Flame Charge, Solar Beam, Rock Tomb
20. Vulpix (Alola Form)
Moves - Protect, Powder Snow, Ice Beam, Iron Tail
21. Dragonair
Moves - Dragon Rage, Iron Tail, Ice Beam, Hyper Beam
22. Zweilous
Moves - Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Wing Attack, Flash Cannon
23. Vibrava
Moves - Crunch, Dig, Rock Slide, Steel Wing
24. Solgaleo (aka Nebby)
Moves - Sunsteel Strike, Focus Blast, Teleport, Flamethrower, Wild Charge, Cosmic Power
25. Riolu (Shiny)
Moves - Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Aura Sphere, Circle Throw, Force Palm
26. Poipole
Moves - Venoshock, Fury Attack, Peck
27. Mimikyu
Moves - Shadow Claw, Drain Punch, Wood Hammer, Psychic, Mimic
28. Umbreon (Shiny)
Moves - Dark Pulse, Psychic, Moonlight, Shadow Ball, Iron Tail, Flash
29. Jolteon
Moves - Thunder Fang, Thunderbolt, Double Kick, Shadow Ball, Pin Missile
30. Vaporeon
Moves - Water Gun, Swift, Iron Tail, Shadow Ball, Dive
31. Flareon
Moves - Fire Fang, Flamethrower, Double Edge, Shadow Ball, Ember
32. Espeon
Moves - Psychic, Psybeam, Iron Tail, Shadow Ball, Light Screen
33. Leafeon
Moves - Synthesis, Energy Ball, Solar Blade, Shadow Ball, Leaf Storm
34. Glaceon
Moves - Shadow Ball, Ice Fang, Ice Shard, Mirror Coat, Iron Tail
Sarah's Dragon Companions:
1. Winter - Light Fury (F)
2. Shadow - Night Fury (M)
3. Skystorm - Deadly Nadder (F)
4. Mist and Spark - Titan Wing Hideous Zippleback (M)
5. Inferno - Singetail (M)
6. Sunflare - Monstrous Nightmare (F)
7. Starfire - Stormcutter (F)
8. Silver - Razorwhip (F)
9. Venom - Triple Stryke (M)
10. Camo - Titan Wing Dramillion (M)
11-15. His pack of five - Dramillions ( 3 F and 2 M)
Yellow Dramillions: Mimic - F, Violet - F, Sunflower - F
Red Dramillions: Ocean - M, Tidal - M
16. Melody - Death Song (M)
17. Echo - Slithersong (F)
18. Twilight - Deathgripper (F)
19. Dawn - Deathgripper (M)
