It was a beautiful sunny day on Ula'Ula Island and Sarah and her friends were gathered with Kukui, their Pokemon, and the dragons to take a special field trip to explore the caves at the base of Mount Lanakila for a class involving Ice Type Pokemon. To that end, they were at a cave that pointed them to a shortcut for some people leading to the ferry port beyond the normal route. Remembering his wife telling him about Tsukumaro's fascination with Aether Paradise and, deciding to play on that to help introduce the former advisor to more of the Alola Region in the 21st Century, he asked Sarah's godfather to join his class as an honorary adult student for the trip.
"After obtaining four new Pokemon Gems from Rayquaza and the Sinnoh Deities and saving Alola and the Pokemon School from Stufful Constellation meteors during the Kartana incident, our heroes and the princess are on their way to the base of Mount Lanakila where they will attend a special class Prof. Kukui planned for them on the subject of Ice Type Pokemon."
"All right, class! We're here at the base of Mount Lanakila and for today's lesson, we're going to explore the ice caves to study and learn about the habitat of Ice Type Pokemon," Kukui announced.
"Great!" they all said.
"And, where will we be learning about Ice Pokemon and their habitat on this island, Sir Kukui?" asked Tsukumaro.
"This cave we're standing near, Tsukumaro, is the shortcut to the ferry terminal and there's a secret that very few people know about it. Right, Sophocles?"
"Right!" nodded Sophocles in agreement.
"But, Sophocles, are you really gonna be okay in the dark?" pondered Lillie.
"Yeah, no worries, there's actually a reason why I'm not afraid to go through there when I need to get to the seaport. It's also the reason for our lesson on Ice Type Pokemon and their habitat."
"But, are you going to be okay, Mr. Wong?" Mallow questioned the advisor.
"Why... Uh, we-O-of course. But, it's strange, going through a cave to learn..."
"Prof. Kukui's classes are unorthodox but they helped us learn a lot about Pokemon," Lana reassured.
"You'll be fine, Tsukumaro, chin up!" Ash bragged. "This is gonna be a lot of fun!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.
"You and Absol can not only know how to get to the seaport on time if you're in a hurry down from the mountain," Kiawe put in. "But, you two can also learn about our region's Ice Types and how they lived in this day and age."
"We'll be right with you all the way," Lillie smiled. "Besides, it'll be fun!"
Tsukumaro didn't know what to say regarding the location of his Pokemon School class with Kukui and his temporary students and goddaughter but a gentle nuzzle from Absol and a nod from Sarah and Kukui told him that he's going to do fine in his first class and to enjoy the moment.
"...Oh, all right, if you kids and Sir Kukui think so," he agreed reluctantly.
"YAY!" cheered Ash and the others.
"All righty then, class, let's get marching!" Kukui called as he led the way into the cave with the others following behind him.
To reduce the danger factor for her group, Sarah decided to return her younger Pokemon to their Pokeballs for the time being as cave explorations were proven to be hazardous for travelers and their Pokemon. Poipole and Nebby (the latter, especially, regarding his size), in particular, were disappointed by this but they understood that it was for their own safety. This left her dragons and her older and more experienced Pokemon to assist in her class and their cave field trip.
"Are you sure you're not afraid to go through the cave in the dark, Sophocles?" Sarah quizzed, just to make sure.
"'Course not, the reason why is just up ahead," bragged Sophocles.
The reason he and Kukui alluded to was shown in the form of the cave having luminous rocks glowing brightly and lighting the path towards the other end of the cave to the seaport. Everyone was amazed as they took in the glowing rocks decorating the cave walls around them.
"Jiminy Delibirds!" Tsukumaro gasped in shock. "Are these cave walls glowing?!"
"The walls are glowing so bright!" Ash gawked in awe.
"that's because they're covered with luminescent rocks and it's like daylight in here," Sophocles explained.
All of the Pokemon and the dragons gathered observed the glowing rocks on the walls, also looking awestruck to see such a peculiar natural phenomenon before their eyes.
Winter and Shadow, in particular, looked at the rocks with distant looks, remembering the time when the Light Fury found her mate and their friends in a similar glowing rock at Tsukumaro and Absol's old cave and awakened them after blasting them out.
"I see, so we don't need to use a flashlight!" Mallow realized.
"No wonder you're not afraid to go through here," smirked Sarah.
"It feels nice and cool in here, too," added Lana.
"I'm pretty sure a part of this cave connects directly to Mount Lanakila, isn't that right, Professor?"
"Right. And, deep within this path where the luminescent rocks are stemming from is the snowy habitat of Ice Pokemon who lived in the cave for many years and have adapted to the mountain's climate resulting in the changes in the Pokemon's appearances."
"Then, that means by the looks of it, it's a pretty big cave!" Lillie breathed in surprise.
"This is not a good place to get lost if we're not having class today," Kiawe replied, a little worried.
"Don't worry, it's a straight shot to the seaport," reassured the Electric Type student.
"As long as nothing goes wrong for us, today, we should be-huh?!" Sarah began before she suddenly noticed something off as she noticed Houndoom growling at something.
"Houndoom, what is it? What's wrong, boy?"
"Hey, what's with Houndoom?" Ash asked.
"Something's riled him up, that's for sure," Kiawe remarked.
"Do you think it could be Team Rocket or Team Eclipse?" Mallow theorized.
"But, I'm sure they would've known about this cave if it really is them," Lillie retorted.
Winter and Shadow both felt uneasy as well as they growled and looked around, trying to find out what could be watching them.
"Even Shadow and Winter think something's in here besides us," Kukui said darkly, also feeling uneasy.
"Zoinks! I think I know who!" Lana shrieked, she and Popplio pointing at what looked to be a quartet of dull yet glowing cerulean eyes at a shadowy cave entrance.
Everyone turned to the eyes Lana and her partner were pointing at and they gasped and yelped in surprise and shock as one of the owners of the eyes suddenly started to shoot what looked like concentrated blasts of icy fire that were powerful but powerful enough so as to not destroy the cave, startling everybody as they dodged three blasts from the ones eyeing them.
"What was that?!" Ash gasped, flabbergasted.
"They look like ice blasts," Lillie deduced, after looking at the results of the attacks fired at them before another blast knocked her off her feet. "AHH!"
"Lillie!" cried everyone in horror.
Sarah and Tsukumaro immediately went up to her as they drew their swords to protect her. "Are you all right, Lady Lillie?" Tsukumaro asked.
"I'm fine but who's attacking us right now?" Lillie questioned.
The dragons grew tense, trying to find the perpetrators who attacked Lillie. They all fired back at the blurs but they didn't land a hit as they dodged and everyone couldn't see what they were.
"What's going on?" shouted Mallow.
"I'm not liking this!" Ash fretted.
"Pika!" agreed Pikachu, worriedly.
The perpetrators emerged out of the darkness of a nearby cave to reveal two large snowy white dragons with blue highlights on them that spanned 30 ft. long, wings that span at 48 ft., bumpy tongues, long under-chin ledges, spiked tails, and long eyebrow-like appendages along with large tusks. Two smaller dragons also appeared from behind what looked like the female dragon, distinguished by the eyelashes, one of them having eyelashes as well to identify it as another female.
What was unique about their wings, however, was that their shared wing structure featured their humerus bones (the arm bone connected to their bodies) being the only part of their wings connected to their bodies and the rest of it hanging outside of their bodies.
"What are those things?!" gawked Sophocles.
"Snow Wraiths! Masters of ice and snow where they come from," Tsukumaro gasped.
"Why are they attacking us, we didn't do anything wrong!" protested Ash, annoyed from being hunted down by them.
"I fear we may have wandered into their territory and they're not happy about us trespassing. They're extremely relentless; highly aggressive and tough dragons known for their violent and predatory nature. They must've crossed over from their homeworld somehow and made these caves their home. But, how and why, I'm afraid that even I don't know."
If things haven't already gotten worse for everybody, they just did as the four Snow Wraiths burrowed underground in the nearby snow with the largest one digging itself underneath and the other three following after it.
"They're gone!"
"You think they know Dig?" Mallow and Lana said.
"Yes and no, that's one of their plans of attack. And, it is not Dig; there's a reason that they're part of the Strike Dragon Class, they're strong and highly intelligent. Despite having very poor eyesight, their thermal vision more than makes up for that. They can sense our high body temperature but one thing we can exploit, if we can, is if our body temperatures are the same kind as the environment around them."
Shadow tried to use his Echolocation ability to track down the Snow Wraiths and allow Winter to stun the largest one with the plasma blast after it appeared. But, the blast didn't faze it and roared, firing an ice blast that forced the two to dodge them.
"Pyroar, help them! Try Flamethrower!" called Kiawe, the Royal Pokemon using Flamethrower to hit it. The Snow Wraith, however, dodged it by burrowing into the cave wall. "Damn it!"
Taking the initiative to follow their fellow dragon, the other three Snow Wraiths, having already appeared and dodged Popplio, Togedemaru, and Charjabug's attacks, burrowing within the snow and cave walls as well.
"They disappeared again!" Ash exclaimed, gritting his teeth.
"We'll never get them to stop if they know how to dodge us faster than a Quick Attack like that!" Kukui grumbled in agreement.
"And, our body temperatures are already high so they got us pinned down!" agreed Sophocles.
"Where'd the other three go?" Lana questioned as they all looked around for the other three Snow Wraiths.
They all kept together, being wary of the remaining Snow Wraith dragons that have yet to appear. Lillie, on the other hand, remained with Sarah and Tsukumaro, the three of them a little farther from the group as they kept their eyes and ears open for the territorial dragons.
Suddenly, through his supersonic hearing, Blitz's ears perked up as he tried to follow whatever sound is being made, and to his horror, he followed the sound to the spot his human mother, Tsukumaro, and Lillie were all standing on as the ground began to crack.
"Pika, Pi-Pikachu, Pi-Pi!" he cried.
But, it was too late; at that moment, the ground underneath the trio shattered and the trio was sent tumbling down the new hole and out of sight.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" they shouted in horror.
"Sarah!"
"Mr. Wong!"
"Lillie, oh no!" Kukui, Mallow, and Ash screamed, shocked by what they and everyone else saw.
"PIKA!" bellowed Blitz, terrified as he tried to jump into the whole after them but Luna had to pounce on him to stop him from meeting the same fate.
There was worse to come as the ground beneath the remaining kids and Alolan professor and all the Pokemon, the dragons immediately deciding to fly to avoid falling down another whole.
Not so lucky, though, were the others, the Pokemon, and Kukui as they all fell down three more holes and are split into three groups in the process.
Even Rotom-Dex fell victim to the holes the Snow Wraiths burrowed, being blasted with a small but effective ice blast into the hole Lana, Popplio, Mallow, and Tsareena fell in along with Luna, Mudsdale, Flygon, Dragonite, and the Eevee Squad.
"STOP!" panicked Rotom-Dex.
Ash, Kiawe, Sophocles, and Kukui all stumbled into another part of the caves with Mulan, Togedemaru, Pyroar, Charjabug, Houndoom, Rapidash, Sylveon, and Goodra.
As for the rest of the gang's Pokemon, Danny, Danielle, Milotic, Aqua, Candy, Dusk, and Noctowl got themselves stuck with Turtonator, Pikachu, Lycanroc, and Torracat when they fell down the third burrowed hole following an uncanny surprise ice blast attack from one of the younger Snow Wraiths, forcing Turtonator to stumble and land on his back and thus, setting off his spikes. This left Latios, Latias, Braviary, and Salamence still safely in the air with the dragons as they hovered in place.
Seeing the uncanny predicament they were all in, Braviary and Shadow cawed and warbled at the three remaining Pokemon and other dragons with them, telling everyone to split into four teams to look for all that fell down the holes and to rendevous at wherever the cave exit is with their chosen group while trying to avoid danger at all costs.
They all agreed and separated into four teams as planned-Latios and Latias joining Shadow, Winter, Inferno, and Starfire, Salamence tagging along with Melody, Echo, Twilight, and Dawn, Braviary teaming up with Skystorm, Mist and Spark, and Venom, and Camo, his children, Sunflare, and Silver-to begin their rescue operation.
As Shadow lead his team towards Sarah, Lillie, and Tsukumaro with Salamence and his group going to the boys and Kukui, Braviary and his dragon team looking for Mallow and Lana, and Camo and his group finding the other Pokemon, they could only hope that their foster mother/rider and her friends and godfather wouldn't be badly hurt and the Snow Wraiths wouldn't attack again.
(Eye to Eye - Pokemon Version)
(The opening begins with Sarah, her pokemon, and dragon family turning around and being faced with the Seven Sins and Sarah draws her Sword of the Sun Lion to confront them. Nebby's creators, Solgaleo and Lunala come by their side while UB-Black appears behind Team Eclipse, under their control)
Got myself a notion, one I know that you'll understand
To set the world in motion, by reaching out for each others' hand
Maybe we'll discover, what we should have known all along
(Yeah)
One way or another, together's where we both belong
If we listen to each others' heart
We'll find we're never too far apart
And maybe love is the reason why
For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye
(Sarah is introduced next, wearing her royal attire, as she stands with her proud Nebby and Solar, her Beast Bot alongside her before they are shown getting in a battle stance together alongside the Beast-X King Zord before they perform Searing Sunrise Smash together. Ash, Pikachu, Kiawe, and Turtonator are introduced together as they perform 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt and Inferno Overdrive together against Team Eclipse. Lana, Lillie, Sophocles, and Mallow are introduced next to their pokemon partners before they all perform Hydro Vortex, Subzero Slammer, Savage Spin-out, and Bloom Doom together against UB-Black to protect Sarah and Nebby before Sarah's eyes and the lion mark on her right cheek glowed and she unleashes a powerful Roar and the clouds behind her turn into roaring lions.)
If a wall should come between us,
Too high to climb, Too hard to break through
I know that love will lead us
And find a way to bring me to you
So don't be in a hurry
Think before you count us out
(Ohh)
You don't have to worry, I will never let you down
Nothing's gonna stop us now!
If we listen to each others' heart
We'll find we're never too far apart
And maybe love is the reason why
For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye
(Nikki, James, Lusamine, Faba, Wicke, and Professors Burnet and Kukui are seen using their pokemon partners against Team Eclipse's pokemon before Sarah, Winter and Nebby fly in and blast them away with a Focus Blast and plasma blast attack. Then, Absol, Zorua, and Zeraora appear and use Megahorn, Night Daze, and Plasma Fists, blasting Team Eclipse away before Cresselia flies over the sky.)
Lovers always seeing it eye to eye
(Yes we are)
I knew I was seeing it
{Seeing it eye to eye}
Lovers always seeing it eye to eye
(Seeing it eye to eye, Yeah)
I knew I was seeing it
{Seeing it eye to eye}
Lovers always seeing it eye to eye
(I think we're seeing it eye to eye)
I knew I was seeing it
(Eye to eye}
(Sarah is then seen mega evolving Candy and her Lucario, Shiny Absol, Salamance, Latios, Latias, Houndoom at once, showing the powerful friendship they share together before she's seen saving a little Yamper, Scorbunny, and Galar Region Rapidash from Melania's Kabutops and Lothor's Darkrai by slashing them with her sword. Then, Sarah comes face to face with Lothor and his Darkrai who tries to blast her but she's protected by Cresselia and Giratina, the Pokemon of Dreams and the Reserve World, who blasts Darkari with Moonblast and Shadow Ball together)
If you're ever lonely, stop
You don't have to be
After all, it's only
A beat away from you to me
(Take a look inside and see!)
Yeah, Yeah!
(Tsukumaro, Absol's trainer and Doug and Deliah's royal advisor, appears and he's shown training Sarah to fully master her family's powerful sword with Zeraora and Zorua watching on the sidelines with Sarah's pokemon family, Winter and her dragon friends. Next, Sarah is seen holding her sword in her hand before she raises her Sun Sword into the sky while her friends and family cheered and the seven gems come out before seven legendary pokemon appear; Cresselia, Giratina, Zygarde (Dog Form), Zacian, Zamazenta, Xerneas, and Rayquaza and they all circle her and Nebby in their powerful magic along with more silhouettes of Legendary Pokemon appearing before the title screen comes up.)
If we listen to each others' heart
We'll find we're never too far apart
And maybe love is the reason why
For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye
(Seeing it eye to eye)
Seeing it eye to eye, baby!
Pokemon - Alola Journey: Destiny of Princess Sarah
(Dragon & Pokemon POV)
Having fallen down the fourth hole burrowed by the Snow Wraiths, all of Sarah, Kiawe, and Ash's Pokemon tumbled down until they finally hit terra firma on a lower level of the cave, greatly relieved to have survived until they all got accidentally crushed by Turtonator, who got stuck on the opening for a moment and plopped on them from his stomach.
"DAAAHH!"
"OW!"
"OWCH!"
"D'OH!" they all screamed.
"Oops, sorry," Turtonater apologized sheepishly, his back spikes reemerging before he got up and they all breathed again.
"Ooh, goodness me," gasped Noctowl until he looked around. "Children, I think we have a teeny-tiny problem..."
"Where are we?" Pikachu asked.
"I don't know," added Lycanroc, looking around as well.
"You got me..." agreed Turtonator, not knowing where they are in the caves.
"This place is giving me the creeps," Aqua admitted as she stuck close to Milotic. "I didn't know there were dragons like them living in this cave."
"I wonder why they wanted to kick us out," pondered Danny. "I get that they're territorial from what Mr. Wong told us but they're taking it too far. I nearly got a bruise from that stupid hole they dug underneath us."
"Maybe there was something in this cave they don't want us to find out," suggested Danielle.
"Never mind that, how do we get out of here?" Torracat interrupted while Lycanroc and Dusk sniffed around.
"How should I know?" replied Pikachu.
"Hey, I think I know where they are!" Lycanroc perked up.
"You mean 'WE' know where they are," put in Dusk. "Whoever we sniffed can't be far from us, let's see who's up ahead."
The Pokemon all agreed and they hurried over to where the person/people/Pokemon they smelled are. Soon after, Camo, his kids, Silver, and Sunflare managed to fly down the hole to where they once were.
"Well, this was where they should be. I heard them as we flew down here," Silver noted.
"Where did they go?" Sunflare asked.
"They must be up ahead and they can't be too far, let's go!" Camo said to them.
The two female dragons nodded and they quickly flew off after their group with Camo taking the lead, his children clinging on to his back as they hoped to not be seen by the Snow Wraiths should they come across them instead.
(End Dragon & Pokemon POV)
Meanwhile, after falling down the first hole, Lillie, Tsukumaro, and Sarah all groaned from the hard fall they took after they landed on the ground covered in ice and snow on another cave level separate from the one the Pokemon, Camo, and his group were on.
"Ow... My back, ugh," groaned the princess before she looked over to her best friend and godfather. "Hey, Lillie, you and Tsukumaro okay?"
"Yeah, I'm doing fine but where's Snowy?" Lillie reassured before she noticed her partner missing.
"Yeah, where's Blitz and where are all my Pokemon?" Sarah quizzed, looking worried as she looked around for her family.
The two of them were interrupted by a few more screams coming from above them before they looked at the whole and they screamed in surprise before they were crushed by Silvally, Blitz, Snowy, and Absol suddenly dogpiling on them in the snow after they reemerged from the hole.
"Snowy, Blitz, Silvally, Absol!"
"Nice of you to drop in but who's side are you on?" cried the two girls, relieved and happy despite the pain they felt.
The four Pokemon immediately got off, also relieved and happy to see the girls as they nuzzled them happily.
"Sorry, Mother, we didn't know you two would be down here," Silvally apologized.
"Pika, Pi, Pikachu, Pika," nodded Blitz in agreement.
"Vul, Vulpix...!" cooed Snowy, relieved to be back with her human partner.
"Oh, Snowy, thank goodness you're okay!" smiled Lillie before she looked around and saw that someone was still missing. "Hey, where's Tsukumaro?"
"Ugh..." groaned the old advisor as he emerged from another part of the snow. "Oh..."
"Tsukumaro!"
"Mr. Wong!" the girls shouted, the group running towards him to help him out.
"Are you okay?" Lillie asked.
"...I am, Lady Lillie," reassured Tsukumaro. "Thank you to you and the princess. I should be all right as long as we get-AH!"
The old advisor tried to stand on his feet again but quickly knelt down on his right knee, hissing in pain as he felt his right ankle suddenly collapse underneath his weight.
"Tsukumaro!" Sarah cried, trying to hold him upright with Absol's help, the Disaster Pokemon growing concerned for his human partner.
"Ah-I-I'm fine, P-Princess... It's nothing serious-EH! It's j-just my ankle..."
The two girls and the Pokemon quickly sat him down to see what the problem was with his right ankle. They looked at it and upon closer inspection with a touch on it and getting a hiss of pain from her godfather, Sarah and Lillie deducted one thing.
"Oh, dear... Looks like you sprained your right ankle after we landed," Lillie theorized as she took out a clean rag. "It's not bad but it'll get worse if we don't treat it right away."
"You should consider yourself lucky, Tsukumaro," grumbled Sarah in greater relief as she took out a small bottle of healing ointment from her satchel and rubbed it on his right ankle. "If your ankle was actually broken, we'd be in more trouble than it's worth and it's already the least of our problems with those white dragons ambushing us as they did."
"I'd be happy if we didn't run into them, at all, after they attacked us like that," Lillie concurred.
"It does seem strange, girls. But, I'm not sure if they intentionally meant any harm if they're just being territorial," Tsukumaro replied as they finished treating him.
"Well, whatever their reasons, we better not stay around here for long and worse still..." Sarah said.
"You're right, I don't think the others are anywhere nearby after we got separated. Which means," Lillie added to the trio's growing shock.
"We're all by ourselves," Lana finished as she and Mallow had ended up in another part of the caves with their own little group.
"And, we have no idea where everybody else is," Mallow agreed, the Pokemon with them recovering from their ordeal with Rotom-Dex getting himself together.
"Not a moment or second too soon," he sighed with relief.
"I guess those dragons mean business if they're that territorial after we trespassed when we entered the cave," Mallow mused.
"Tsar, Tsareena," nodded Tsareena as she brushed herself off of the pain she felt from the fall.
Even Lana, Musdale, Flygon, Dragonite, and the Eevee Squad nodded in agreement as they rejoined their friends after recovering from the unexpected attack by the Snow Wraiths.
"Jol, Jol, Jolteon, Jolte, Jol, Jolt-Jolt," grumbled Jolteon, wanting to get revenge on the Snow Wraiths for attacking and humiliating them as they did.
"Espe, Espeon, Esp," snapped Espeon, not wanting her impulsive Electric Type sister to get so riled up.
"JOLT, JOLTEON!" snapped Jolteon back, knowing the nickname her Psychic Type sister gave her.
"Umbre, Bre, Umbreon, Bre," Umbreon interjected, getting between them and stopping their fight before he went on to say that if they and anybody else fights, they won't get out of the cave faster and the Snow Wraiths will be after them again should they find them.
"Neigh," Mudsdale nodded, knowing what Umbreon was thinking.
The girls turned to the Pokemon belonging to Sarah with them and their partners, seeing how they bounce off each other in their current crisis.
"Sounds like they're already knowing how to handle themselves in this little predicament of ours without Sarah being around to help them."
"But, I wonder how we'll be able to deal with those dragons that attacked us earlier just for being in their territory," put in Rotom-Dex, remembering the Snow Wraiths.
"We'll be fine. Let's find everybody together," Lana reassured as she and Popplio smiled.
"Leave the navigating to me," Rotom-Dex suggested. "And, I'll find the rest of them in no time at all!"
"Great! You just lead the way," Lana obliged.
They then heard a familiar cawing and several roars from the hole that they fell in and they looked up to find Braviary, Skystorm, Venom, and Mist and Spark looking relieved to have found their group.
"Venom, Skystorm!"
"Braviary!"
"Mist and Spark!" shouted Rotom-Dex and the two girls happily as the Pokemon crowded around their rescue party.
"Guess you guys found out about us and came to our rescue, huh?" smiled Mallow as she rubbed Braviary's feathers.
"At least, we have a better chance of finding the others with you all around," Lana agreed as she petted Venom, who purred happily from Lana's touch.
Meanwhile, Kukui, Sophocles, Ash, and Kiawe joined by the latter three's partners, Mulan, Houndoom, Rapidash, Sylveon, and Goodra had all recovered and were now walking down another cave level to try and find the others but to no avail.
"Hey, Pikachu! Torracat! Lycanroc!" Ash called, growing more and more anxious for his team by the minute.
"I've never been down here before," Kukui admitted as he looked around the cave. "This cave must be packed with tunnels and secret passages that could lead us back outside on the paths to the mountain and the seaport or even to the Ice Pokemon's habitat."
"I never thought of exploring the cave in full until we found out about these passages, either," Sophocles admitted as well.
"It feels like they're not far away," Kiawe said, thinking they'll hopefully be found by the others soon.
"Or, they might be far, far away! We better step on it!" Ash said, starting to panic before he tried to run off ahead.
"Ash, panicking isn't going to help us and we need to have a clear head on what to do," Kukui warned.
"He's right, Ash. I know how you feel but you've got to calm down," Kiawe agreed. "There are a lot of mysteries in here and those dragons from before could be anywhere."
"Uh, Professor, guys... Sorry, I just stepped on something," Ash gulped fearfully, seeing that he stepped on a Pokemon, a wild Boldore, and made it angry.
"Bold..." growled the Boldore, angry for having been stepped on.
"I'd call that a mystery," Kiawe remarked, he and the others starting to sweatdrop in fear as well.
"Quick, Rowlet, take care of this!" Ash called to his Grass Quill Pokemon, who was fast asleep in his backpack making everybody groan. "WAKE UP, ROWLET!"
But, it was too late; Boldore prepared to use an attack, Explosion, at its supposed enemies making the four humans, Charjabug, and Togedemaru run away from it in fright and the others chasing after them, leaving Houndoom groaning as he and Pyroar were left to handle the wild Rock Type.
Nodding to each other, they quickly performed a Double Flamethrower attack that exploded on Boldore, leaving it dazed and allowing the Dark Hound Pokemon to unleash his trademark howl.
"DO-O-O-O-O-O-O-OU!" he howled with a threatening glare.
"B-O-O-O-O-O-U-U-U-U-U-L-L-L-L-L-L!" panicked Boldure as it freaked out and ran away, crying.
Pyroar was surprised as he blinked at Houndoom before he smiled at his fellow Fire Type, the two of them sharing knowing nods before they rushed back towards their group to continue the search.
With Sarah and her small team, they looked around the caves as they remained wary of whether or not the Snow Wraiths would be after them since they were still in their territory but they had no luck finding the others, either.
"Argh, damn it! Nothing, nothing, nothing! It's just, caves, caves, and more caves the further we go down," grumbled Silvally. "Mother, are you sure we're heading down the right way? This is like the stupid human game of 'Find The Needle in a Haystack'."
"We don't have a map of the cave system and we've only just got here earlier for our class," Sarah told him gently. "I never knew there were any dragons here, either. So, we're all clueless as to how to get out of here since I don't know what cave level we're in."
"I don't, either. Perhaps, the most logical thing to do is to find a way out," Lillie proposed.
"That's very well said and done, Lady Lillie, but how do you propose we do that?" questioned Tsukumaro, who was holding a collapsable walking stick to support himself that Lillie brought along just in case. "If you can't tell, we've no clue where we are, we're separated from your and the princess' friends and family, and we have those Snow Wraiths and these wild Pokemon who'd pick a bone with us if we trifle with them."
"...I know! I read about it in a book once; if you put your finger straight up and feel around for a draft, that's the exit!"
"Pika, Pikachu, Pi, Pi-Pi," nodded Blitz, knowing this to be a viable escape strategy.
"Do you really think we can get out of here just by doing that?" asked Silvally skeptically.
"Do we have a choice?" retorted Sarah.
"...No, I suppose not."
Following Lillie's lead, the princess and Tsukumaro stuck their fingers up in the air, hoping to feel a draft coming from anywhere around them that'll lead them to the exit.
"I hope this works..." begged Tsukumaro.
"I feel it... It's coming from up north," replied Sarah, feeling something akin to a draft.
"Wait, is that...?"
"That's..." Everyone looked at what seemed to be a cloud of dust appearing towards them, revealing a wild Raticate running towards them.
"IT'S A RATICATE!" screamed Lillie and Sarah, panicking before they ran.
"Absol!" shouted the old advisor, signaling his partner to use Razor Wind and wound it with Blitz's help before they all left to join Sarah and her best friend.
After a while of running from the Dark Type Pokemon rat, the three humans and their current Pokemon slumped down on a nearby rock big enough for them to sit on, relieved to have gotten away from the Raticate.
"That was way too close... We are NOT doing that again if that's gonna happen," Sarah groaned.
"We sure ran when that Raticate attacked us, didn't we, M'dears?" sighed the advisor.
"Uh-huh..."
"I'm starving now..."
"Ditto..." agreed Silvally.
He then turned to Sarah, surprised that she ran away from the Raticate that ambushed them earlier. "Although, I'm a little surprised you didn't bother to stay and fight off that ugly rat when it attacked, Mother."
"I was nearly rat bait after my family and I were shrunk no thanks to Faba's stupid shrink ray and Sylveon was the only one who could protect us without the help of Fairy Type attacks, you gonna judge me?"
Tsukumaro smiled when he saw his goddaughter and Silvally squabbling. "Well, in case you children would fight on empty stomachs... TA-DA! Compliments of Lady Nikki and Sir James for everybody," he replied, holding out a bag chocked-full of homemade food like mixed rice-balls and jelly-filled donuts from Sarah's adopted parents, which he was only too happy to share.
"Mmm... These donuts are delicious!" Sarah groaned in delight after eating a donut.
"Mmm, these are the best!" agreed Lillie happily after taking a rice ball.
Even the Pokemon are all satisfied with the food given to them by Tsukumaro as they happily munched on whatever they wanted from his bag.
"Did you have anything to do to make people and Pokemon happy back in your time, Mr. Wong?" asked Lillie as she ate.
The old advisor was surprised by her questioned and pondered for a moment. "Well... Aside from being a good friend to My Lord and Lady and being there when they need my help, whenever I'm working on my magic, I wanted to share my magical talents with everyone and encourage them to believe in all sorts of magic," he explained.
"Some people tend to think that having such a wonderful gift like magic makes people feel out of place and makes them different from them according to their fears and superstitions. I want to put a stop to that and show everyone that magic can make you happy and a very special person within. It's always been a personal goal of mine to help out others using my magic for the good of the world as long as I know how to use and control it... "
"Wow, that's so sweet," Lillie smiled brightly.
"That's so like you with Mom and Dad," agreed Sarah.
"I don't suppose you two would have dreams similar to mine or one that best suits you, am I right?"
The two girls thought for a moment on their dreams until Lillie finally realized hers after recalling everything she and her family had been through since the Nihilego incident and what her time with her friends and Snowy have taught and given her.
"You know, I'm no so sure... I guess, for now, I'm having fun and living my new life to the fullest. Getting close to Pokemon and learning everything I can about them is so much fun, I'll soon find out what else I want to do, eventually," spoke the Ice Type student.
"I suppose that means you have a lot of freedom to find out what your dream will eventually be," remarked the princess.
"That's true. How about you, Sarah?"
"...Me?" Sarah was baffled; she hadn't been able to find out what her dream will eventually be as well with all the adventures she had been having.
"...I don't know. There's so much I want to do when I find my parents and take my place as the heir to the throne should we decide to restore the Alolan Royal Hierarchy for a new age of peace. But, if I fully accept my title and we put an end to Lothor, I want to be a Pokemon Princess; someone who loves Pokemon and who would serve as an ambassador and the bridge between each region to further help Pokemon and humans live together in cooperation and harmony. There's a lot of wrong going on in the world like with Evox and Team Eclipse and I want to help those who are in need of even a short sliver of kindness to enjoy living happier lives in this world no matter what they think on the contrary."
Lillie and Tsukumaro were amazed by what they heard and they nodded with approving smiles, seeing her dream as a noble one.
"That's wonderful, Sarah," Lillie said proudly. "No matter what happens to us, the others and I will help you achieve that."
"An ambitious but noble dream, Princess. Your parents would be proud to hear that if they can see you now..." agreed Tsukumaro with a proud smile.
"You got a lot of work ahead of you when you graduate and when we find your family's top cat and his lucky girl, Mother," Silvally remarked as he finished his meal. "You sure you got what it takes to do it?"
"I have you all and the rest of our family giving me a hand, don't I? Everything is possible as long as we're together to face every challenge head-on, even the impossible."
"Pika!"
"Vul!"
"Sol..." agreed Absol, Blitz, and Snowy with knowing nods.
Their conversation was soon interrupted by what was heard to be banging and yelling sounds coming ahead of them from a cave passage up north. The small group was then bewildered to hear several loud roars joining the yells as they knew who the roars belonged to.
"Did you hear something?" Lillie asked, surprised.
"Do those roars sound familiar to any of you?" put in Sarah.
"It sounded like those Snow Wraiths but why aren't they attacking us if they know we're here?" Tsukumaro pondered as they all went into the cave quietly to find out what was going on.
When they arrived at where the roars and the sounds were originating from, they were greeted with a surprising and unexpected sight. The Snow Wraiths that attacked them and the others before were with a group of five Alolan Sandshrew, four of them looking as though they were fighting with the larger Sandshrew while it was encouraging them to push it back with the white dragons looking on.
"Are those Alolan Sandshrew with the Snow Wraiths from earlier?" gasped Lillie.
"Yeah, but why are those smaller Sandshrew fighting with the bigger one?" pondered Sarah.
"I don't think they're fighting, Princess," Tsukumaro countered, looking at them closely. "I think they're actually training. Those little guys look like they're working hard and the larger one is trying to help them improve on an attack they're using."
"And, what about the Snow Wraiths? What would they want with them?"
"They don't look hostile to them; if they were. they probably would've blasted them out of the cave. I think they must've known about each other somehow and are living together in harmony but why they're coexisting with one another, I don't know..."
The small group thought they were safe as they watched on in awe but they had no idea that while they were eavesdropping on the Alolan Sandshrew training, the two younger Snow Wraiths had crept up from behind them after they noticed the intruders and decided to take action as they prepared ice blasts to shoot them with. Attacks that immediately caught the Synthetic Pokemon's attention as he turned back and noticed the little white dragons growling.
"LOOK OUT!" cried Silvally as he fired Air Slash at the Snow Wraiths, his Flying Type attack colliding with the icy blasts from the smaller Snow Wraiths.
The three attacks met in a stalemate before they exploded, forcing Sarah and her team to be blown back from the blast as they caught the larger Snow Wraiths and the wild Sandshrews' attention.
"How did those two know about us?!" Sarah shouted, flabbergasted as she turned to the larger Sandshrew who was glaring at them. "Wait, please! It was an accident, we didn't mean to eavesdrop on you! We come in peace!"
The Alolan Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths didn't listen as they begin to surround the "intruders" to their domain, all of them not being fond of any other humans and Pokemon being on their turf and being spied on.
"It looks like we're surrounded!" fretted Lillie as they all scooted together.
"Uh-oh, got any magic tricks to get us out of this, Tsukumaro?" Sarah replied, itching to activate her morpher but resisting the temptation.
"I don't want to fight them, especially if they don't give us a reason why the Snow Wraiths attacked us like they did," Tsukumaro said. "But believe me, Princess, you and Lady Lillie would be the next ones to know."
The small group was left with no other options left but as they got ready to fight, a flurry of fireballs shot forward and took the Alolan Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths by surprise as they were forced back. When the dust settled, Sarah, Tsukumaro, and Lillie opened their eyes along with their partners to find Inferno, Starfire, Winter, Shadow, Latios, and Latias charging towards them as the Singetail roared.
"Winter, Shadow!"
"Inferno, Starfire!"
"Latios, Latias!" cried the humans in surprise.
The four dragons and Eon Siblings got in front of them as they prepared to fight unless their group's assailants and the wild Ice Types were willing to talk peacefully but as they got up from the blows they were dealt with, the Alolan Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths' glares darkened as they were preparing to fight as well.
Not wanting a rumble to break out between the two groups, Latios and Latias used Psychic to lift the Ice Pokemon and white dragons up and hold them in place, greatly shocking the would-be fighters as they struggled in vain against their combined mental hold.
"Laaa, La, La, Laaa-Laaa, La, Laaaa!" begged Latias, wanting the Snow Wraiths and the Sandshrew to listen to her and her family and friends.
"La, Laaa, Laaaaaaa, La-La, La, Laaaa, Laaa," added Latios, daring the would-be attackers to do things the easy way or the hard way if they so choose.
Shadow warbled in agreement as he waddled forward with his mate and gave a firm glare towards the Snow Wraiths, warning them not to try anything despite knowingly protecting what is their home from trespassers.
Realizing the need for a peaceful solution to resolve things between the two groups, Tsukumaro took out his food bag and opened it to reveal twelve leftover donuts and rice balls which caught one of the Sandshrew's attention as it walked over to him and sniffed his food bag.
"Are you hungry, short man?" he asked, taking out a jelly-filled donut and holding it out for the Sandshrew should it choose to eat.
The Sandshrew sniffed it curiously as it took on the heavenly sweet scent of jelly from the donut as everyone watched on, wondering how it would react.
"Sandshrew!" it replied, grabbing it and moving off a bit to eat.
Everyone was surprised and amazed; from the way the wild Sandshrew just reacted, it looked as though it hasn't eaten for a while as it scarfed down the donut at such a fast pace.
While Sarah, Lillie, and their crew watched the Sandshrew continue to eat the donut, Mallow and Lana along with Rotom-Dex and their Pokemon and dragon crew found themselves at a fork on the path they're on, not knowing which path they should take to find the way out or reach the others.
"A fork in the road..." puzzled Lana as Houndoom sniffed both paths for a draft.
"I wonder which way we should go," Mallow pondered. "The others could be anywhere from these two paths."
"I'll handle this! According to my calculations, there's a 50% chance of meeting them this way and a 50% chance of meeting them this way," Rotom-Dex explained, oblivious to the fact that he was being ignored when Umbreon barked to everyone to try the cave to the right.
"Umbreon thinks we might have a better chance of meeting the others or finding a way out if we go right," Mallow said.
"Good idea, Umbreon. Lead the way," Lana agreed, making the group go to the right cave as Umbreon led everyone.
"WAIT! You've already decided!?" gawked Rotom-Dex as he trailed behind. "WAIT FOR ME!"
As for the boys and Kukui, they and their Pokemon crew were exhausted. While looking for the others, Ash had been careless as he then stepped on a wild Diglett and a Gumshoos, forcing them to run, leaving Houndoom and Pyroar to fend off the other two wild Pokemon before rejoining the others.
"Boy, this field trip and Ice Pokemon class is not what I had in mind," groaned Sophocles.
"You know something, Ash? You stepped on a Boldore, a Diglett, and Gumshoos, how in the world did you manage that?" Kiawe panted.
"I don't know... Just lucky, I guess," Ash sighed, feeling embarrassed.
"Turtonator, Pyroar, I just want to see you two again...!" Kiawe wailed, starting to cry.
"Hey, boys, don't lose hope now! Look over there!" said Kukui, pointing to an opening he saw up ahead. "We might've found a way out!"
The three students perked up from this and they all ran towards the exit with Kukui and the Pokemon following them until he saw something that made him gasp in surprise and realization.
"Wait, Ash, Kiawe, Sophocles, I just remembered!" he called as they ran out. "We've reached the top of Mount Lanakila!"
"WE'RE OUT!" cried Ash, Sophocles, and Kiawe happily.
Kukui's warning came too late; as soon as they all ran out of the cave, they were blasted with cold air as they landed in the middle of a blizzard on the top of Mount Lanakila itself without any snow gear.
"IT'S COLD!" they all cried frantically as they huddled together.
"So, that means we've ended up on the Mount Lanakila side! It's freezing," shivered Kiawe.
The Pokemon, realizing the humans' mistake, remained at the cave entrance as they all sweatdropped at Ash, Kukui, Kiawe, and Sophocles. They can only hope that the others and the rest of their family have better luck at finding the other end of the cave or them, most of all. They didn't notice how right they are as they heard familiar roars coming from within the cave as they turned to find the owners of them, which made them gasp in surprise at their saviors.
With Sarah, Lillie, Tsukumaro, and their crew, they had finished feeding the leftovers they have to the wild Sandshrew as the others had their share of meals along with the Snow Wraiths, who had finally calmed down and were now talking peacefully with their fellow dragons after they ate as well. The wild Ice Types even got to peacefully mingle a bit with Sarah's Pokemon along with Snowy and Absol.
"Is it yummy?" giggled Lillie to a Sandshrew.
"They sure were hungry," Sarah remarked, smiling.
"I'm glad for that, they look happier after eating," Tsukumaro sighed as he watched all the younger Sandshrew sighed with satisfaction and their Pokemon continuing to mingle with them and their larger counterpart, which they all deducted to be the leader. "They were training themselves until they got hungry, I guess they were preparing themselves on empty stomachs."
"I wonder why they would go crazy with their training like that," Silvally remarked. "They seemed damn devoted to whatever got them peeved or something. And, what's the story on those dragons' mood swings towards us?"
"You got me. But, I suppose we'll find out if they tell us anything," replied the princess before noticing the larger Sandshrew as it approached Lillie. "You know, that Sandshrew looks bigger compared to the rest. Could it be a Totem Pokemon?"
"Maybe, it's kinda like a Pokemon boss," Lillie smiled as she petted it, making the larger Sandshrew smile from her touch.
Then, the Sandshrew all perked up from whatever they could hear along with the Snow Wraiths, who all decided to see what happened with the white dragons following them with their thermal vision to keep the Ice Types in their mental sights.
"Oh, don't tell me they're also snowcapped," groaned the Synthetic Pokemon.
"Pika, Pikachu, Pi, Pikachu?" Blitz pondered, wondering why they would run off like that.
"Vul, Vulpix!" Snowy called, following the wild Ice Types and frost dragons with the other Pokemon, Inferno, Starfire, Shadow, and Winter going after them as well.
"How very peculiar. Well, follow the leader," Tsukumaro said as the girls helped him up and nodded in agreement.
Being very careful, so as to not make the old advisor hurt his sprained ankle more, Sarah, Lillie, and Tsukumaro picked up the rear as the large group all hurried to catch up with the Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths to find out how they can help.
As they tried to keep up with their new friends, everyone noticed how cold it was getting the farther they ran.
"Is it just me or is it starting to freeze in here the deeper we go into the cave?" Sarah questioned, noticing her breath becoming smoke in the colder environment.
"It's icy and slippery, be careful," warned Lillie, noticing some ice on the path they were on.
The large group kept on running through the cave as they became wary of the ice on the cave floor but when they caught up with their new friends and reached an opening that started on a snowbank, Sarah, Lillie, Tsukumaro, and their crew were all treated to a beautiful, jaw-dropping sight.
Up ahead of them was a giant castle that looked like it was made entirely of clear ice amidst all of the snow around it. There was some sunlight peeking through whatever openings are on the cave ceiling but the heat from them didn't seem to have any effect on the castle as it stayed upright and didn't melt as it sparkled grandly. Nobody knew what to say about the fantastic sight of ice and snow before them until Lillie and Silvally broke the silence.
"It looks like... An ice castle!" gawked Lillie in awe.
"Oh, great... A castle that looks like something from a fairy tale made from solid ice, just our luck!" remarked Silvally, goggle-eyed with shock. "Now, I've seen everything!"
"...Blistering Binacles!" breathed Tsukumaro in absolute fascination as he eyed the castle with twinkling eyes. "I've never known such a beautiful, marvelous icy marvel to ever exist in these caves! The artistry, the sparkling clear ice, its inability to melt in constantly cold temperatures... I've never seen anything like it!"
"But, what happened to the Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths?" Lillie asked, looking around for their new friends.
"Laaaa!" screeched Latias, pointing in shock to the younger wild Sandshrew and the two smaller Snow Wraiths looking terrified, one of them being thrown back before they ran.
"Sand..." snarled the leader Sandshrew, who was facing down a wild Tyranatar that was eyeing it as it growled back.
Lillie, Sarah, and the Pokemon gasped in shock as they took in the sight of the Tyranatar bullying the wild Sandshrew as they tried to stand their ground against the large Ground Type.
"Jiminy Christmas, it's a Tyranatar!" gawked Tsukumaro in shock again.
The Tyranatar growled as the wild Sandshrew and the smaller Snow Wraiths along with the larger ones, who had managed to join them, tried to fight back with physical attacks like claw slashes and Rollout but they were forced back by the larger Armor Pokemon's superior strength,
"They're battling!" gasped Tsukumaro.
"That's not fair! Tyranitar's a Rock Type and Dark Type. The Alolan Sandshrew don't stand a chance against it!" fumed Sarah, unable to see the snow dragons and the Sandshrew getting pummeled.
"Hey, guys, look over there. I see something on the pillars," Lillie said, pointing to some pillars that had scratch marks on them. "Those look like claw marks made by the Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths with their claws and some of them have thin marks from the Snow Wraiths tails."
"And, not just on the pillars, I'm seeing them as well as small holes where the Snow Wraiths' ice blasts were made," the princess observed, taking in what their new friends had been doing.
"That's all good and what not but what's that got to do with those whacked-out icy daredevils?" Silvally interjected.
"Laa, Laa, Laaaaa, La, La, Laa-Laa, La..." thought Latios as he scratched his flat chin, wondering if they had anything to do with the Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths' training as they saw before.
Tsukumaro looked at the castle and the land again and theorized the Ice Types and Snow Wraiths' reason for attacking them earlier and why they went to their snowy home as they did. He knew it was a long shot but he could see no other reason as to why they'd be so defensive and fight Tyranitar over it.
"I have a theory... Perhaps, everything here was something that the Snow Wraiths and Sandshrew carved from the ice."
"Wait, the Sandshrew carved all of this including the castle out of the ice?" quizzed Sarah, puzzled. "How could they do that when they have the snowy peak of Mount Lanakila as their home?"
"I don't know, Princess. But, if my guess is correct, this could be a place that's sacred to the Sandshrew. Over the years since they adapted to living in cold environments in the region like this, they made this as some sort of sacred ground that's like a makeshift temple that the Snow Wraiths also made their home with when they crossed over somehow, which can only mean one thing..."
Lillie gasped, "I get it! This place must be the Sandshrew's special meeting place where lots and lots of them all come together from across the region. And, when the Snow Wraiths came in, they accepted them as their new friends with the four dragons becoming their grounds' protectors and bodyguards!"
"And, by the looks of it, Tyranitar made the same mistake we did by wandering in here by mistake and claimed these grounds as its own," Sarah realized, her eyes growing wide from the revelation. "That's why they and the Snow Wraiths were training as they did earlier, to prepare themselves to fight Tyranitar and take back the sacred land that was once rightfully theirs!"
"Pi, Pika, Pi, Pi!" Blitz shouted, wanting to help the Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths reclaim their land as he tried to reach them.
"Absol!" barked Absol, getting in front of him. "Ab, Sol, Sol, Absol..."
"Pika..." pleaded Blitz, not wanting the Sandshrew and white dragons to fight alone.
"Forget it, kid. Don't make it any harder for them," Silvally replied in agreement, eyeing Blitz firmly with knowing resignation. "This fight's theirs alone, cut them some damn slack. You saw how dedicated they are to kicking that armor dino out of this place, even I know better than to butt in when this is personal to them."
Shadow agreed, warbling to Blitz that nobody should get involved in the Snow Wraiths and Snadshrews' fight.
As the gang was forced to watch the battle draw on and the situation becoming increasingly bleak for the Snow Wraiths and the Sandshrew, Tyranitar roared as it used Sandstorm to blind its adversaries to kick them out of the land it stole from them.
"Now, it's using Sandstorm on them!" shouted Tsukumaro over everyone screaming from their side as they tried to endure it.
The Sandshrew, on the other hand, were immobilized as they also tried to endure the attack but without much luck as the sand that was kicked up blinded their vision and they couldn't see.
The second larger Broad Wing Snow Wraith gave off a threatening feminine roar (indicating it's a female) at the Armor Pokemon through the Sandstorm but Tyranitar roared back mockingly in return. This angered the female frost dragon as she took to the skies through the billowing sand as she shot an ice blast at the Ground Type, to which it then countered by using Rock Throw to block it in a stalemate before they exploded.
Roaring in defiant anger, the lager female Snow Wraith shot down and burrowed under the ground as another Rock Throw was launched before she burrowed underneath Tyranitar before popping out from behind it and rammed it hard. Sadly, while dealing it moderate damage, it didn't even cancel the Sandstorm that was still in effect before she was bashed back and crashed into the Sandshrew and her mate and children.
But, it was about to get worse for everybody as Snowy was unable to protect herself from the Sandstorm as she was blown towards the downed Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths, and Tyranitar, horrifying Lillie as she rushed to get her back.
"VU-U-U-U-UL!" shrieked the younger Alolan Fox Pokemon.
"Snowy!" cried Lillie.
Silvally gasped as he saw Lillie running after Snowy and, out of impulse and knowing his brother wouldn't forgive him should he and Gladion find out she could get hurt, he immediately dashed after her and her partner.
"Lillie! Come back, kid, wait!" he cried, hoping to get her.
"Wait, Silvally!" Sarah cried, still trying to support Tsukumaro as Latias helped her but unable to stop her Synthetic Pokemon. "Don't do anything crazy!"
"Pi-Pi-Pi! Pi Pikachu, Pi, Chu, Pik, Pikachu!" Blitz shouted as he tried to chase after Silvally but was stopped by Winter as she grabbed him and he struggled in her panicked motherly grasp.
Tyranitar roared again as it then used Stone Edge, causing the Sandshrew to try to take cover before they could get hit as the Rock Type attack hit the ice cave ceiling with the Snow Wraiths being forced to brace themselves and their Pokemon friends for what could be an inevitable cave-in should the territorial battle drag on.
"Snowy...Huh? AAAAHHHH!" panicked Lillie as she and Snowy saw themselves about to be hit by several bits of the cave roof as several small and large pieces fell towards them and the downed.
Silvally was only barely able to get to her and her Ice Type partner before they were boxed in with the Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths but the trio and their new companions were cut off from Sarah, Tsukumaro, and the rest of their family as they failed to join them in time.
"Lillie!"
"Oh, no!" shouted Sarah and Tsukumaro in horror, they and the other Pokemon and dragons being left to wonder what'll happen to Silvally, Snowy, and Lillie.
As the territorial dispute between Tyranitar and the Alolan Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths continued with Sarah, Lillie, Tsukumaro, and their team being caught in the middle of it, Mallow, Lana, and their squad found four more paths to choose from and they still don't know which path to take.
"Now, the road splits into four," Lana mused as they all looked around.
"We'll need to be careful here," Mallow pondered worriedly. "We don't know how deep these tunnels go."
"This time, my accurate analysis will come in handy, for sure!" bragged Rotom-Dex again and started to drag on before he was interrupted by Umbreon going left.
"Umbreon said, 'this way'," Lana said to everyone.
"BUT, I HAVEN'T FINISHED ANALYZING!" balked Rotom-Dex in bewilderment and dismay as he trailed behind again. "WAIT FOR ME!"
Returning to the territorial dispute, Sarah, Tsukumaro, and their Pokemon/dragon family managed to reach the barrier separating them from Lillie, Silvally, and Snowy, hoping that the three of them weren't crushed.
"Lillie, Silvally! Are you okay?" shouted Sarah frantically.
"Lady Lillie, are you and Little Snowy all right?" screamed Tsukumaro worriedly as they looked through a crack in the barrier, seeing them safe and sound. "Lady Lillie! Thank goodness you're still alive! Are you hurt?"
"Snowy and I are okay! Silvally, too," reassured Lillie before the trio turned to the downed Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths. "But, wait! What about the Sandshrew and the poor Snow Wraiths? They're all badly hurt!"
Their attention was then turned to the larger Sandshrew, who was still on its feet and fighting valiantly against Tyranitar but having no chance right now against the larger and stronger Ground Type as it panted heavily from over-exerting itself.
"I don't know but if that icy mouse of a roadrunner gets squashed by that walking armored tank, those little dudes will be without a leader," remarked Silvally, despite knowing Lillie can't understand him fluently.
"Remarkable! The Sandshrew leader's still going to fight for its kind's sacred ground," gasped Tsukumaro in awe as he, Sarah, and Blitz watched the larger Sandshrew glaring at the Armor Pokemon, still wanting to fight to retrieve its people's land.
"Sandshrew!" roared the Sandshrew Leader at Tyranitar, goading it to use Stone Edge again as it and the younger Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths were forced to dodge again as it hit the cave and a part of the ice castle.
"Pika!" gasped Blitz.
"Oh no, the castle!" gasped Sarah, horrified by what she's seeing. "Tyranitar's going crazy!"
"If it keeps this up, the Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths could lose their land!" Tsukumaro nodded grimly.
"What should we do...?"
"Vulpix..." Snowy and Lillie fretted, wracking their brains for ideas to help the crew's new friends.
The three humans and their Pokemon and dragon family/friends didn't know what to do; the Sandshrew are now all frightened and the Snow Wraiths were at the end of their rope in their struggle against Tyranitar as it continues to run rampant in their sacred land.
Lillie felt horrible as she looked on at the Ice Type Pokemon and the Snow Wraiths on the verge of defeat; if she and the others don't do anything soon, not only would the Sandshrew and their dragon protectors will be beaten and humbled by the Armor Pokemon but they would lose their land and they won't have a gathering place for the region's other Alolan Sandshrew.
She was continuing to wrack her head for ideas until two Pokemon appeared from Sarah's Pokeballs and took the initiative to join her, Silvally, and Snowy to help. The little princess and Tsukumaro, along with their family, gasped in shock to see Riolu and Poipole appear before they squeezed through the opening to their friends and their big brother.
"Poipole, Riolu!" gasped Sarah as they all watched.
"Come back here! Wait!" called Tsukumaro.
"Hey, ya big dinosaur! Nobody hurts Auntie Lillie like that! HYAH!" Riolu bellowed as she charged at Tyranitar before using Aura Sphere.
The Aura Pokemon turned to the Emanation Pokemon and Poipole as the Aura Sphere rocketed towards it before it landed a hit on its face, making it stumble back from the Super Effective damage it took, catching everyone's attention on their side.
"Riolu! Poipole!"
"Vul!"
"Are you crazy?!" shouted Lillie, Snowy, and Silvally, all of them gawking at the Ultra Beast and the little Fighting Type now squaring off against the Armor Pokemon.
Their appearance and fighting Tyranitar even took the Snow Wraiths and Sandshrew by surprise as they watched with bewilderment at Riolu and Poipole battling Tyranitar despite being so tiny against it.
As Lillie watched on, seeing Riolu and Poipole fight the large Rock Type as Tyranitar used Rock Throw at them with Poipole countering with Fury Attack, she couldn't help but realize that the two younger Pokemon had already taken the initiative to protect her, Snowy, and Silvally and that she must do the same for the Snow Wraiths and the Sandshrew. They're in grave danger of losing their sacred land and if Tyranitar isn't stopped now, they won't have a gathering place to call their own anymore.
"...That's it! I'm getting in there!" she declared firmly, catching her friends and their family off guard. "I can't just stand by and watch this go on!"
"Lady Lillie, wait! Don't be so reckless!" Tsukumaro called as they watched Lillie rush in to help save the Snow Wraiths and Sandshrew with Silvally close behind to protect her. "You won't stand a chance against Tyranitar!"
"We're too late, she's on her own! But, not alone!" Sarah said, taking out Silvally's Ice Type Memory Drive before she called Poipole. "Hey, Poipole!"
"Poi...?" called the Ultra Beast as she flew back to the crack.
"Take this and give it to Silvally! If Silvally's an Ice Type, he can help give Tyranitar the Ice Pokemon One-Two! They need all the help they can get!"
"Pole!" nodded Poipole, taking the Memory Drive and rejoining the battle just as Lillie and Snowy jumped in to help.
"Snowy, use Hail!" Lillie shouted.
Quickly, Snowy blew a breeze of hail that canceled the Sandstorm, catching Tyranitar's attention as it looked at her and Lillie. The larger Sandshrew groaned as it tried to stand but when it noticed the Ice Type attack, it looked over to whoever saved it, its fellow Sandshrew, and the Snow Wraiths, it gasped in surprise to see Lillie, Snowy, Poipole, and Silvally facing the Armor Pokemon down. The latter had become an Ice Type as his head scales, tail fin, and eyes were light blue.
Riolu rushed over to the Sandshrew's side to help it stand. "Are you okay, Mister?" she asked.
"Sand..." nodded the Sandshrew leader, surprised to see some help coming to it, the smaller Sandshrew, and the Snow Wraiths.
The Ice Types and the snow dragons all woke up from their daze from Snowy using Hail to help them recover, gasping in surprise to see help arrive in the form of Sarah's best friend, her partner, and three members of the princess' family including an Ultra Beast, a Pokemon chimera, and a tiny yellow bipedal wolf.
"Sandshrew, since you're an Ice Type and the Snow Wraiths are your friends, you all should use this attack to your advantage," began Lillie, her attention on the surprised leader. "Let me and my friend's family help; let's all work together and we'll be able to protect this place!"
"Vul!" Snowy agreed determinedly.
"Poi, Poipole, Poi!" nodded Poipole, feeling the same.
"We're a team, Mister!" Riolu added to the leader. "We got to work together to help you guys save your home!"
"They ain't lying, big man! These little rascals are right on the damn dot," finished Silvally. "You need our help to kick that armored dino out of Icicle Land and all the way to Kalos!"
The Sandshrew leader realized that this was what they needed to get rid of Tyranitar and take back their sacred land and, accepting the help offered to it, its Sandshrew pack, and the Snow Wraiths, it roared proudly in acceptance. Even the Snow Wraiths accepted their help, now realizing the supposed "intruders" to their home want to help them protect their and the Sandshrew's sacred ground from the powerful Rock Type.
"Thank you..." Lillie sighed happily before turning to Silvally. "Silvally, now that you're an Ice Type, will you lend us your strength to help Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths?"
"Are ya kidding?" he growled despite her not understanding him fluently. "Let me at 'im, let me at 'im!"
Lillie giggled before turning to Tyranitar again. "Tyranitar, this isn't where you belong! The Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths just want to live in peace!" she said.
Tyranitar snarled dangerously, the Armor Pokemon not taking Lillie talking it down about the land it stole from its original owners and dwellers too kindly.
"Snowy, Sandshrew, Silvally, Poipole, Riolu, why don't we and the Snow Wraiths all battle together?" she questioned the Pokemon with her.
They all let out determined cries, eager to kick Tyranitar out of the sacred land it stole from the snow dragons and the Alolan Sandshrew and protect it. As Snowy and Sandshrew stepped forward to take the lead with Silvally joining them and Riolu, Poipole, and the Snow Wraiths on standby as a backup team if needed, the Ice Type student thought back to Sarah's Double and Master Triangle Battles with Olivia during her Akala Island Grand Trial. At one point during the battles, she recalled Kiawe mentioning something that Kiawe told everyone as they watched Sarah, Mudsdale, Wooloo, and Dusk (before he became a Dusk Form Lycanroc) battle their Kahuna adversary.
"Yeah, that's Olivia; using Lycanroc to attack while using Probopass and his Mini Noses as a backup. She has her Double Battle and Master Triangle Battle roles clearly defined," he mentioned.
"Attacking and backup are what's important. Now, Snowy, use Aurora Veil!" Lillie called, allowing Snowy to raise her group's defenses through a powerful veil of Northern Lights.
"Oh, yeah! Come at us, broski! We're waiting...!" taunted Silvally as Poipole mocked Tyranitar with a smirking raspberry.
Angered from the double taunt by the Synthetic Pokemon and the Ultra Beast, Tyranitar used Rock Throw again at full force, hoping to make them shut up and regret mocking it and its strength.
"Dodge now, you guys!" Lillie shouted as the group braced themselves, the Aurora Veil from Snowy shielding them from the Rock Type special attack.
"The Aurora Veil is protecting you all! Now, Snowy, Silvally, Powder Snow plus Multi Attack!"
"Vul...PIX!"
"Whatever you say, Missy!" Silvally obliged as they both made their moves.
Using Powder Snow, Snowy managed to blind Tyranitar for a moment to allow Silvally to claw at the Armor Pokemon using Multi Attack, now cloaking himself in a transparent light blue aura and deal him considerable damage. This allowed Lillie to attack again, this time with the Sandshrew leader tagging in.
"Sandshrew, use Rapid Spin!" she bellowed.
Spinning like a ball at lightning speed after jumping in the air, the Sandshrew leader divebombed Tyranitar as it smacked the Ground Type in the face.
"Use Rapid Spin again! Poipole, Fury Attack!"
The tables have now turned on Tyranitar as Sandshrew unleashed several consecutive Rapid Spin attacks to the face again and again with Poipole furiously pecking at the Armor Pokemon, wanting to help the Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths get even with the Tyranitar and take back their land. It looked as though Lillie's got everything under control as Sarah, Tsukumaro, and their family watched on in awe and fascination.
"Wow, look at her go!"
"She's fighting Tyranitar alongside Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths with Silvally, Riolu, Snowy, and Poipole so elegantly and without hesitation!" they breathed.
Even the dragons and Pokemon couldn't hold back their awe and amazement as they looked on from the crack on the ice wall.
Furious from its opponents' continued persistence, Tyranitar unleashed a full-powered Rock Throw at the five Pokemon but they all dodged gracefully and when they came face to face with the Ground Type, the Snow Wraiths made their move as they joined the attackers.
"All right, everyone, attack now! Sandshrew, use Metal Claw!" Lillie cried, knowing the end is near.
"AURA SPHERE!" shouted Riolu as she shot another Aura Sphere just as the Snow Wraiths fired four icy blasts.
"Poi...POLE!" screamed Poipole, using Fury Attack again.
"Vul...PIX!" Snowy bellowed, using Powder Snow.
"VICTORY IS OURS!" added Silvally, using Multi Attack.
"Sand...SHREW!" finished the Sandshrew leader, now using Metal Claw.
The full assault from the five Pokemon was too much for Tyranitar to withstand as it buckled and fell back, defeated and humbled with the Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths' sacred grounds secure and taken back safely.
"We, we won?" Lillie gasped, seeing Tyranitar finally defeated.
"Vulpix!" Snowy cheered.
"Poi!"
"We saved the Sandshrew and snowy dragons' home!" Riolu and Poipole agreed happily.
The defeated Armor Pokemon tried to get up and fight again but that was a mistake as the five Pokemon and four dragons glared back at it, eyeing Tyranitar darkly as if to dare it to make another move and steal the sacred grounds of ice again.
"SA-A-A-A-A-A-ND!"
"RAWR!" bellowed the Snow Wraiths and the Sandshrew leader, pointing towards a cave with great ferocity.
That did the trick along with its battle loss, the Rock Type immediately cowering before the victors in a panic before it crawled out, never to return or trespass upon the Snow Wraiths and the Sandshrew pack's sacred land ever again.
"AND, STAY OUT!" finished Silvally, scoffing at the cowardly Armor Pokemon as the Snow Wraiths and the Sandshrew all cheered.
"Tyranitar, you shouldn't come back here and disturb the Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths' sacred ground again," smiled Lillie, satisfied with her team's victory.
"Lillie!" called Sarah, the rest of the Ice Type student's team managing to break through and reach her. "Are you all right, did you win?"
"We sure did, Sarah! Tyranitar's gone and this sacred land is secure again," Lillie said brightly.
"Sorry we couldn't help you all sooner no thanks to that ruffian of a Tyranitar," Tsukumaro added. "But, that battle was morphinominal; never in a million years did I ever imagine you fighting alongside a wild Pokemon and winning a team battle!"
"...I just went for it but thank you," replied Lillie, slightly blushing and feeling humble. "However, it was all because of Snowy, Silvally, Riolu, Poipole, Sandshrew, and the Snow Wraiths."
This was true as Riolu, Poipole, Silvally, and Snowy were congratulated by the rest of Sarah's family and Absol, all of them feeling proud of the four Pokemon for taking a stand to help the Alolan Sandshrew even though Blitz chewed the former three out for worrying them and being so reckless despite their noble intentions.
"Hey, we helped those ice rats get this place back from that stupid dino, kid," retorted Silvally with a smirk. "You gonna judge us on that?"
The Sandshrew couldn't agree more with their sacred land being theirs again as more of them joined their leader, cheering for the safe return and retrieval of their grounds and beginning to carve at the ice again like diligent business workers with the Snow Wraiths assisting them. The visitors couldn't help but smile at them, feeling happy that the snow dragons and the Sandshrew reclaimed what was rightfully theirs and nobody should wander into their territory again. But, they also couldn't help but wonder what they're trying to claw and dig out.
With the other groups, Ash, Kiawe, Sophocles, Kukui, and their Pokemon crew were rescued in the nick of time by Salamence, Melody, Echo, Twilight, and Dawn after ending up back on Mount Lanakila. With the dragons and the Dragon Pokemon leading the way carefully, they finally found an exit that lead them all back outside and not towards the mountain or a dead end.
"This time, for sure," groaned Kiawe, Ash, and Sophocles as they held each other.
"Don't worry, boys. With Salamence and Melody and his family, we'll be out of here soon and hopefully, continue with the lesson," reassured Kukui.
"Sylve!"
"To-Toge-Ge!"
"Goo!"
"Charja!" cheered Sylveon, Goodra, Charjabug, and Togedemaru.
Their group looked ahead of them to find Mallow, Lana, their partners, the Eevee Squad, Rotom-Dex, Luna, Mudsdale, Dragonite, and Flygon coming out from another cave ahead of them.
"Hey, guys! Professor!" Mallow cheered happily.
"Found you!" Lana cried happily as well.
"Lana, Mallow!" smiled Kukui brightly.
"ASH!" Rotom-Dex cried.
"Rotom!" Ash cheered as he and the Living Pokedex hugged each other happily before they heard a familiar Mouse Pokemon calling for them from behind them. "Pikachu!"
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered as he and his group arrived from another cave above them from his partner's side.
"Rawr!" bellowed Pyroar, delighted to see Kiawe again while Turtonator smiled at his human trainer.
"PYROAR, TURTONATOR!" sobbed Kiawe as the Fire Type trio shared a tearful hug and nuzzle. "YOU'RE BOTH FINALLY HERE, I MISSED YOU!"
"I missed you guys!" Ash sobbed as the trio held each other tightly.
"I missed you, too, Ash!" agreed Rotom, still sobbing with relief.
The Kanto Trainer then turned to his partner and apologized, "Sorry about that, buddy. We had to deal with more trouble than you can even imagine."
Sarah's reunited family members were all glad to be back together but even though this was great news for them, they were also worried for the last remaining members of their large group including their human mother. What they didn't know, however, was that Sarah and her team were currently preoccupied with helping the Sandshrew restore their home.
Down at the Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths' sacred grounds, said Pokemon and dragons were continuing to work on their icy grounds as Sarah, Lillie, Tsukumaro, and their Pokemon and dragon family/crew assisted them. For Snowy, she patched up the damage done by their scuffle with Tyranitar following its trespassing into her fellow Ice Types' land. The others were helping to carve away at the numerous matches of ice with the wild Sandshrew guiding them on what to do.
"There, that should give the Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths some peace of mind," smiled Lillie as a hole was patched up by Snowy.
"And, definitely for the better," Sarah agreed with a knowing nod.
With the Sandshrew and Snow Wraiths' help, the other dragons and Pokemon dug away at the ice until...
"Laa...?" squeaked Latias, seeing something glowing from the ice patch she clawed at and took out what looked to be a crystal with a snowflake insignia embedded within it before bringing it to her human mother.
"What'd you find, Latias?" asked the princess, taking the crystal.
But, when she looked at the crystal, she found it to be an Ice Stone that her younger Eon Pokemon dug up. "Hey, Lillie, Tsukumaro, check this out! Latias found an Ice Stone buried in an ice patch she was digging at!" she called.
"An Ice Stone?!" gawked Tsukumaro before he paused and gave some thought to it. "Wait a minute, now I remember! I once heard that the Sandshrew's sacred meeting grounds was once an Ice Stone mine and when it was abandoned, the Sandshrew claimed it as their own and to think that the Snow Wraiths have also made this place their home along with the caves..."
"You're right, it is an Ice Stone! Does that mean...?" Lillie gasped in awe.
"Right, Lillie. Alolan Sandshrew and Vulpix are capable of evolving into Alolan Sandshrew and Ninetales just by using these very stones. I even have one on me for Snowflake in case she chooses to evolve whenever she wants."
"Of course! That means the ice castle that we've protected is where the Sandshrew come here to evolve, for some sort of evolution celebration!"
"By Jove, you've got it, Lady Lillie! If that's the case, the Sandshrew didn't want their stones disturbed before they dug them out fearing that there are others who would want to make money out of them. Not to mention, they've made this place the grounds for their evolution ceremonies using these stones!"
The Sandshrew leader nodded as it came towards Sarah and touched the Ice Stone Latias found, evolving into its final form and growing sharper spikes from its pointed hands and feet, getting a leaner upper body structure, a longer tail, and head and back spikes and shoulder pads that are like the icicles in its kind's grounds.
"Sandslash!" it hissed majestically.
"...Vul," squeaked Snowy in awe.
"Amazing! Truly amazing, Sandshrew evolved into a Sandslash but it's bigger than the rest," Tsukumaro gasped in wonder.
"If that's so, then it looks like we've found the Totem Pokemon in this area, and in this case, it's Totem Sandslash," remarked Sarah, her eyes wide as the younger and smaller Sandshrew happily crowded around the Totem Pokemon.
Even the Snow Wraiths couldn't help but growl in acceptance and congratulations as they smiled and bowed it the Ice Type Totem Pokemon, prompting it to bow back and gesture for them to get up.
"That's great! And, from now on, along with the Snow Wraiths, you'll be protecting this place," smiled Lillie as Totem Sandslash turned to her and her friends.
Totem Sandslash looked towards her and Sarah as it remembered them helping it protect its kind and the Snow Wraiths' sacred evolution grounds from the wild Tyranitar and wanting to repay them for their help, it went over to be back of an ice pillar for something.
"Huh?"
"Totem Sandslash?"
"What's he doing?" the three humans puzzled.
Their questions were soon answered as the evolved Alolan Mouse Pokemon reappeared holding two Z-Crystals in its claws that it then presented to the two girls, much to everyone's surprise.
"Wait, hold up, are those-?" gasped the princess before Tsukumaro cut her off in his own fascination.
"It is, princess! Those are Icium Z-Crystals," breathed the old advisor in shock.
"You're giving them to me and Sarah?" Lillie asked in surprise before she looked at her bare left wrist. "But, I... I don't have a Z-Ring."
"Lillie, this trial's not just your test of skill, it's also your test of heart and you passed," Sarah reassured. "So, what if you don't have a Z-Ring? You can get one later once we tell Hala everything. You proved that you have the heart to help others in need without a second thought and you proved that to Totem Sandslash when you helped him stop Tyranitar. Just take it in his honor, already!"
Lillie was surprised by this but she then smiled, knowing her best friend had a point. "You're right! Thank you," she thanked, kindly taking the first Icium Z from Totem Sandslash.
Totem Sandslash then turned to Sarah, offering the second Icium Z to her as a gift, knowing that through her Pokemon family, she had also been a big help in stopping Tyranitar and kicking the Armor Pokemon out of his people and the Snow Wraiths' evolution grounds.
"Thanks, Totem Sandslash," she nodded as she took the Z-Crystal, getting a bow from him and the Sandshrew as well as the Snow Wraiths.
The two friends looked at each other and smiled knowingly as they held their new Z-Crystals together. "We just won... An Icium Z!" they cheered with Snowy, Riolu, Poipole, and Silvally joining in the victory celebration.
With Riolu and Silvally, they shouted with "YEE-HAW!" and "BOO-YAH!". Tsukumaro and the rest of Sarah's family just smiled proudly at them all; the Sandshrew evolution grounds and snow cavern home belonging to the Alolan Sandshrew and the Snow Wraiths were safe once again and they and Totem Sandslash have Lillie and Sarah to thank.
All too soon, it was time for the two girls and their team to head for home and rejoin the rest of their group. With directions to the main cave exit provided to them by Totem Sandslash, they managed to reach the bottom of the caverns and the seaport where they found Kukui, Ash, and the others all waiting for them. It was dusk by the time they finally got out and all their family and friends were deeply relieved and happy to see them safe and sound.
"Ah, here they come!" Ash said.
"Tsukumaro, Lillie, Sarah! Thank goodness, I was beginning to worry and call for a search and rescue team," sighed Kukui happily.
"We're so glad you're all right!" Mallow smiled.
"You're okay," Lana nodded.
"We were really worried, you know!" pouted Sophocles with a smile.
"Did you guys get lost?" Kiawe asked.
"Well, not exactly," smiled Sarah to the group.
"You might say that we've had a chillingly good time while we were in the caves," Tsukumaro smiled brightly. "We did run into a few snags but we were greeted to the most spectacular sight nobody around here would even dream to see."
Everyone gasped in awe, wondering what Sarah, Lillie, Tsukumaro, and their group had been doing while they were all lost in the caves.
"A most spectacular sight, what kind?" inquired Lana, wanting to know more.
"Long story short, we found a giant ice castle that's home to the Snow Wraiths and the Alolan Sandshrew living around here. And, what's more, Lillie and I earned two Icium Z-Crystals after a team battle against a wild Tyranitar."
"Castle?"
"Icium Z-Crystals?!"
"That sounds action-packed!"
"You're kidding!"
"You've must've had quite a journey there!" gasped Kukui and the others in wonder.
"Well, it just sorta turned out that way," smiled Lillie, she and Sarah showing off their Z-Crystals from Totem Sandslash. The sight of the two Z-Crystals threw everyone watching for a loop as they gawked in absolute shock, now knowing that everything that happened with the two girls and their group was true.
"Look at that!"
"Awesome...!"
"Gorgeous!" Lana, Ash, and Kiawe breathed in awe.
Kukui smiled brightly at the Z-Crystals, feeling proud of Sarah and Lillie. "Well, now, you two certainly helped out the Totem Pokemon in a big way!" he chuckled.
Even Mallow couldn't hold back her proud smile for them. "Congratulations, Sarah! And, you especially, Lillie, that means sometime later, you'll get your own Z-Ring just like Ash, Kiawe, Lana, and Sarah!" she cheered.
"I wanna see 'em, too!" Rotom-Dex begged excitedly.
"And, that's not all! Before we left, Totem Sandslash gave us another something, something meant for Lillie," added Sarah before she pulled out another freshly-harvested Ice Stone from one of her satchel pockets. "TA-DA!"
"Is that really an Ice Stone?!" gawked Prof. Kukui, he and the others once again in complete shock.
"Most indefinitely, Sir Kukui," confirmed Tsukumaro. "This Ice Stone given to us by Totem Sandslash is from the Alolan Sandshrew's evolution grounds which is also an Ice Stone mine. But, we promised Totem Sandslash to never let anybody else know about that place and we intend to keep it that way."
"It's for the best given what they and the Snow Wraiths went through with Tyranitar and speaking of the Ice Stone," added Sarah before handing it to Lillie. "Here, Lillie, it's all yours."
"Huh?" Lillie gasped, still in awe from Totem Sandslash's last gift to her as she took it.
"If Snowy chooses to evolve, you can give to her when she's ready."
"Wow, thanks Sarah, that'll be great!"
"Hey, Snowy! Want to evolve into a Ninetales?" Lana asked Lillie's partner, who was curious about it but not keen on evolving now.
"I know it seems possible but... Snowy, what do you want to do?" asked the Ice Type student to her Alolan Vulpix.
Snowy looked at the Ice Stone but she just cutely shirked and hid away from it beside Mulan who gently nuzzled her in reassurance, knowing it's not her time to evolve yet.
Even Lillie had to agree, "Right, I guess it's too soon."
Kukui smiled, knowing that it's really up to Snowy to choose if she's going to evolve or not. "I think that's a perfect choice, Lillie. After all, at the end of the day, it's still up to the Pokemon to decide whether or not they want to evolve," he said to Lillie knowingly.
"But still, if it's going to happen, we'll be right here with you," Mallow smiled.
"And, you can finally use a Z-Move!" added Lana excitedly.
"A Z-Move?! Oh, dear," Lillie gasped, realizing she has a lot to do if she were to use one after getting her Z-Ring.
"You'll do well with it. You were at your best when you fought against Tyranitar alongside Totem Sandslash, Lady Lillie. We'll offer you our support along the way and you'll master your Z-Move in no time."
"Count on me!"
"And, me, too!" replied Tsukumaro, Kiawe, and Ash encouragingly.
"It sounds like a lot of fun!" laughed Lillie as Snowy agreed happily, knowing that the best is yet to come for the two of them with everyone by their side as they all made their way to the seaport to return home.
"Lillie has experienced her first team battle and won. Perhaps battling and joining forces with Sarah's Pokemon and Totem Sandslash are more ways to help her get closer to other Pokemon. And so, with that in mind, Lillie has gained a new perspective and renewed confidence in herself as a trainer in her own right 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, Counter
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. Ampharos (Shiny)
Moves - Thunderbolt, Confuse Ray, Power Gem, Signal Beam, Discharge, Iron Tail, Thunderpunch, Dragon Pulse
12. Sylveon
Moves - Tackle, Tail Whip, Copycat, Shadow Ball, Light Screen
13. Goodra
Moves - Water Gun, Protect, Tackle, Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, Rain Dance, Aqua Tail
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. Dragonite
Moves - Dragon Rage, Iron Tail, Ice Beam, Hyper Beam, Dragon Rush, Dragon Claw
22. Hydreigon
Moves - Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Wing Attack, Flash Cannon, Dragon Rush, Tri Attack
23. Flygon
Moves - Crunch, Dig, Rock Slide, Steel Wing, Dragon Rush, Dragon Claw
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
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, Icy Wind, Ice Shard, Iron Tail
35. Eevee
Moves - Helping Hand, Protect, Dig, Double Edge, Swift, Tail Whip
36. Skitty
Moves - Doubleslap, Ice Beam, Iron Tail, Copycat, Double-Edge, Play Rough
37. Braviary
Moves - Superpower, Sky Attack, Brave Bird, Close Combat, Steel Wing, Aerial Ace
38. Absol (Shiny)
Moves - Night Slash, Psycho Cut, Shadow Claw, Hyper Beam, Flamethrower, Shadow Ball
39. Houndoom (Shiny)
Moves - Thunder Fang, Solar Beam, Sludge Bomb, Flamethrower, Crunch, Stone Edge
40. Latias (Shiny)
Moves - Safeguard, Psychic, Mist Ball, Dragon Pulse, Steel Wing, Recover
41. Latios (Shiny)
Moves - Steel Wing, Psychic, Giga Impact, Dragon Pulse, Luster Purge, Charge Beam
42. Salamance (Shiny)
Moves - Incinerate, Hydro Pump, Dragon Tail, Dragon Rush, Protect, Steel Wing
43. Rapidash (Galar Region)
Moves - Psycho Cut, Mystical Fire, Megahorn, High Horsepower, Heal Pulse
44. Yamper
Moves - Wild Charge, Fire Fang, Play Rough, Double Edge, Dig
45. Scorbunny
Moves - Quick Attack, Double Kick, Flame Charge, Ember, Headbutt
46. Stufful
Moves - Force Palm, Ice Punch, Thunderpunch, Focus Punch, Brick Break
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)
Sarah's Pokemon Gems (Original):
1. Cresselia
Moves - Psychic, Moonlight, Moonblast, Magic Coat, Psycho Cut
2. Giratina (Origin/Altered Form)
Moves - Shadow Force, Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere, Will-O-Wisp, Dragon Claw
3. Rayquaza
Moves - Draco Meteor, Hyper Beam, Dragon Rush, Iron Tail, Dragon Ascent
Sarah's Pokemon Gems (Non-Original)
1. Dialga
Moves - Roar of Time, Flash Cannon, Draco Meteor, Dragon Claw, Aura Sphere, Protect
2. Palkia
Moves - Spacial Rend, Hyper Beam, Dragon Claw, Fire Blast, Aura Sphere, Protect
