Pokemon: Alola Journey VOL 1 - The Trials of Sarah

by Snow Nadder

In the Alola Region, Sarah attends her first day at the Pokemon School where she meets Ash, Pikachu and their friends. With her pokemon, Sarah will take on the Island Challenge along with Ash, but while doing the Island Challenge, Sarah discovers there may be more to her than meets the eye.

70. Chapter 69: Gift of the Light Fury

It was Christmas in the Alola Region and despite the consistently warm climate from the daily runs of sunlight and with a lack of snowstorms and cold weather apart from Ula'Ula Island's Mount Lanakila, everyone from every part of the region is getting into the holiday spirit. There was not a single frown on everyone's faces as they all laughed, danced, sang, and cheered their hearts out as family members and friends from all over the world come to spend some much-needed time with their loved ones until the new year.

The shops, towns, ports, farms, fields, and cities scattered along each island were aglow and adorned with colorful garland, red, green, and silver bunting, signs pitched up saying things like "Merry Christmas!" and "Happy Holidays!" to everyone coming and going for their Christmas shopping for food and gifts of all sorts, and carollers and Pokemon singing Christmas carols to bring a smile to everyone's faces.

There were tons of stalls in market districts selling goodies like homemade gingerbread cookies and Hershey's Kisses along with warm cups of hot chocolate, freshly cut pine trees, tropical trees, and ready-and-made plastic trees being picked out and sold for decorating, movie theaters showing Christmas movies for everyone to see wherever they are, games, the like! There were even music and dance troupes like Richard and the Unova Movers doing holiday hula and haka dances for the special occasion through holiday concerts that last for the whole season.

Everything looked beautiful in Alola; despite the Christmas buzz being an absolute stretch of western culture being integrated into their own, the people didn't care as they and their Pokemon were happy to celebrate the Most Wonderful Time of the Year with their own Alolan twist.

Things were also lively with Sarah and her family along with her friends as the holiday season came into play. The little princess, in particular, was snoozing with Star, Blitz, and Poipole beside her when...

"...YAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!" screamed Mai with excitement as she burst through her bedroom door, her cheering startling Poipole, Blitz, and Star as they jumped off the bed and crashed in a dogpile as the little Mimikyu jumped on Sarah's bed to wake her up.

This was going to be her first-ever Christmas with her new family and she could hardly wait to join in on the fun as she desperately woke up Sarah in her excitement, making her groan in pain from her excessive jumping and ecstatic screaming as her ears rattled before she finally got up.

"Wake up, Sarah, wake up! It's here, it's here! It's finally here, CHRISTMAS!" cheered Mai again, still unable to contain her excitement as she got in her tired face.

"Sounds like someone's being a holiday party animal off the bat," groaned Star as she got up and brushed herself down before smiling at Mai as she shook Sarah and tried to get her out of bed before she accidentally let go and rolled into her toys.

"Pika, Pika, Pika, Pikachu..." muttered Blitz tiredly, running sand out of his eyes as Poipole quickly got up and remembered before she twirled excitedly and cheered as well.

Mai went over to Sarah and jumped on her again, eager to go outside and have some holiday fun to make the most out of her first Christmas. "You promised!" she begged.

"Okay, okay, I'm up, I'm up," the princess sighed with a tired smile as she finally got out of bed.

"Yay!" Mai hollered as she went downstairs in a fit of excitement with Poipole following her.

"You can't blame her for being able to celebrate her first-ever Christmas with us, Mom," sighed Star, amused. "And, to be fair, it is going to be the first one for many of us, even the dragons."

"Okay, I'll give her that and Poipole, too, for that matter. Eternatus may not feel the same way but I'm sure he'll be feeling it whenever he can. Why don't you guys see if Mom and Dad need help?" she said as she went to her bathroom to get changed and brushed her teeth.

It was less than two weeks before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for Sarah and her family on this particular Friday morning as many of her Pokemon and dragons were going about the house and the Pokemon Dragon Heart Dome decorating them having fun.

Latios and Latias were in the living room, hanging the completed family portraits Mina and Ribombee had completed for them while Salamence (with Eevee and Skitty on his back again), Silver, Shadow, Espeon, Lolita, Charmeleon (having evolved from his previous form throughout the time leading to the middle of the holidays from his consistent training), Rapidash and her children, and Sylveon, Goodra, and Noctowl helping Nikki and James in the rest of the house with decorating, cooking, and baking gingerbread cookies for an upcoming party they're having with the others.

As Star and Blitz joined Mai and Poipole, they saw Wooloo trying to help hang some of the lights onto one of the three Christmas trees that were brought from one of the market stalls in Hau-Oli City. But, he was too small to help Sylveon, Espeon, Noctowl, and Goodra with the first tree in the living room and he fell back on the floor, his hooves wiggling as he tried to get up.

"Baa, Baa...!" he cried cutely, catching Lolita and Nikki's attention before they giggled and helped him up.

"Oh, you adorable little sheep, you know you're too young to hang those lights up that high," she chided with a smile as she patted him. "Why don't you leave the tree's upper levels to me and the others and you help me and Lolita in the kitchen?"

Wooloo nodded, smiling as he handed her the lights to Nikki to have her finish hanging the tree lights before she joined Lolita in the kitchen as Latias was helping James and his wife with making cookies and wrapping presents for their friends as well as Prof. Burnet, Prof. Kukui, Principal Oak, Faba, Wicke, Lusamine, the Beast Morphers Rangers at Coral Harbor, and Prof. Magnolia, Sonia, Leon, Victor, Gloria, and Hop at Galar.

At the same time, Tsukumaro was outside and on his new Google Pixel cell phone with Prof. Kukui who was with Principal Oak already getting the school decorated for a Christmas Party of their own, closing the school for the holiday celebrations throughout Winter Break. He and the rest of Sarah's Pokemon and dragons were already getting the exterior of their house and the inside of the Pokemon Dragon Heart Dome decorated for the holiday season. Eternatus was still snoozing and brooding in his usual spot so they couldn't bother with him to get into the mood.

"Yes? Oh, yeah, don't worry about the cake, Professor. My goddaughter and her friends got it covered, Mallow and her family are working on it for the party and will bring it here once it's done," he said to him, discussing whatever details they have for both parties.

"Great! And, it'll be our pleasure if you and the rest of our friends could attend our party at Christmas Eve and Christmas Day after yours. Is that-great stuff! Okay, perfect! Yes, Sir Kukui, it'll be nice! My sugarcake and her friends even had an idea for it that I'm sure we'll all really like. Oh! But, I can't tell you and Burnet what the cake is like, unfortunately. No, Sarah and her friends said to us and their own families that it's going to be a surprise. Yes, Sir, yes! My family and I will see you next Friday for your Pokemon Christmas party at the school, thank you. Good day! Good day, Sir Kukui!"

As he shut off his cell phone and started to send a text to James inside the house (after spending several hours of practice on how to use a cell phone and text messages with help from his family), Solar (in Hovercycle Mode) was helping Houndoom, the rest of the Eevee Squad, Braiviary, Charmeleon, Hashimoto, Ching Wan, Tepig, Oshawott, Snivy decorate the house exterior with hanging lights, ornaments, and garland and the second tree for the front lawn.

"Steady, a little more, not too much," he instructed Umbreon using Psychic to hang an ornament.

Even a few of the other dragons including Starfire, Camo and his kids, Sunflare, Mist and Spark, and Venom were overseeing the preparations for the upcoming party and even assisting with the decorations as long as they didn't screw things up.

Finally, inside the dome, the last of Sarah's Pokemon and dragon family was decorating the interior with each area adored with streamers, more garland and ornaments, and lights for when Ash and the others' Pokemon come to play with them. Eternatus was snoozing away as the others, led by Winter, got to work as they played happily but Silvally noticed and went over to talk with him for a bit.

"Hey, big guy?" he questioned.

"What?" answered the Gigantic Pokemon, uninterested.

"You wanna, maybe... Give us a hand with all this stuff?"

"Don't feel like it," came the blunt reply.

"You know you can trust me. I know you could after telling you what I went through. Remember, you still have it better than me; you were sealed away once with no kills to your credit, my brothers and I weren't lucky with the 25 scientists that were massacred after our RKS systems were busted."

"I could but I'm not going to. You know me, I hate humans after what happened to me 3000 years ago. At least, you of all Pokemon, got to have it easy despite those kills... I got diddly and humanity's previous scorn to show for it, your so-called mother's stupid and in over her head to think she can reform me. Why does she even bother trying?"

"It's in her nature. She's been like that ever since I met her; I wasn't too happy with being her pet, at first, but after a while with our first encounter against those stooges from Team Rocket, I realized she's nothing like I've imagined. She's strong, she's brave, she's loyal, loving, wise, something that I have close to or akin to a mother... I don't know why she didn't kick me to the curb after everything I did to antagonize her, all I know since that day is that she trusted me and I trusted her..."

"...Easy for you to say. Look, kid, there's nothing else she can do for me, not now, not ever. Unless you're sure about it and she proves it to me, I want nothing to do with any of you," finished Eternatus, turning away with his back facing Silvally, no longer wanting to talk.

"So, you want to be a big baby 24/7 and whiny your ass off being a big grinch about everything humanity was based on their stupid and bad side? Okay, dude, I won't stop you, I won't change your mind if you really feel like it. I was in the exact same boat you were in last year when Old Tapu Thunder found me and gave me to Mother after I escaped as I've told you before. Go ahead, be a dork about it. In the meantime, like Mother, I'll just do whatever I can to take care of you and help you settle into your new life until you realize that no matter what you do to deny it, you're in safer, much better hands with her and with us. I just hope you'll understand in time what you'll miss out on before it's too late."

With that, Silvally left to continue helping with the preparations for his family's Christmas party, leaving Eternatus alone once more to brood in his arrogant and still hateful silence as he slept. But, his words also took him another tiny step to realize that he is in safer and better hands in Sarah's care, no matter how much he wanted to deny it and if his anger towards humanity is still justified.

Back inside the house, Sarah arrived to see what's happening and was surprised to see much of the house already spruced up for the holiday buzz that'll be around Alola. James had gotten a text from Tsukumaro that Kukui's called off school for Winter Break and the upcoming Christmas parties when she came in.

She could already smell the sweet scent of gingerbread as she watched Nikki finish the living room tree with Sylveon, Goodra, and Noctowl and returning to the kitchen to working on the cookies and gingerbread houses.

"Morning," she greeted, joining Blitz, Star, Poipole, and Mai.

"Good morning, Ponchita, Prof. Kukui just called. He spoke to Tsukumaro and I and he said that school will be out for Winter Break beginning next Friday so you have the next two weeks off until the second of January after New Year's Day to have fun," he told her.

"Great! That's perfect," smiled Sarah as she looked around the living room and the kitchen and dining room. "Looks like you guys really got this place going."

"Thanks to your Pokemon and dragons lending a hand for a party as big as this," replied Nikki, working on the gingerbread cookies and houses with Lolita and Wooloo.

"Who's working on that model railroad we have for the holidays in the garage?"

"Oh, Tsukumaro and the rest of our family with him got it done after he found those train sets we got for you while growing up and now they're working the exterior of the house and the second tree on the front lawn. Your mother will have the gingerbread houses ready for that soon so we'll put them there once they're finished. They should be done by now so why don't you go and see how they're getting on with it and the dome?"

"Sure thing, Dad. Come on, guys," she nodded, Poipole, Blitz, Star, and Mai joining with her outside.

"And, make sure you be careful if they have any decorating left to do!"

"I got it!" she nodded before they found her godfather and her dragons and Pokemon with him finishing the exterior.

"Ah, Princess, perfect timing!" spoke Tsukumaro. "I think we've gotten everything straightened out for this holiday season. But, I have to wonder, what is it about Christmas that everybody's so intrigued about?"

"No kidding! I've never known anything like that before we noticed people getting the decorations, the snacks, the gifts, and the music going ever since Poipole got her drawing spree uncovered and after surviving Black Friday. What's going on with it?" asked Solar, coming to see them given that he and Tsukumaro had no idea about the whole idea over Christmas and the holidays before then.

Sarah thought for a moment and then spoke as best she can, "Well, it's normally the time of year when we'd all get together and cherish happier times and was supposedly the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of someone named Jesus who's the spiritual leader of Christianity. During this time, whenever many people in Europe and other countries hold different celebrations during the Winter Solstice to celebrate the end of the worst of winter, you traditionally give each other gifts, decorate trees, sharing food, attend church services, and wait for a man named Santa Claus to come and help spread cheer to everyone."

"Okay, I think I get it now," nodded Solar. "Sounds a lot like what we're doing now for the party next week."

"Yeah, we're so excited! Now, that we got the house done, we need to make sure everything's ready for our family's party next week and before Santa finally comes! WHOO-HOO!" Hashimoto cheered, jumping excitedly.

"Yep, and that's before getting to join the others at the school for our first party," nodded Ching Wan with a smirk and his arms crossed. "I'm just glad we'll be able to stick together after everything we've been through."

"I concur, it's going to be quite a celebration when next week eventually allows our party to commence," agreed Tsukumaro. "I trust we have everything set up?"

"Everything's just about ready inside, I'm just heading over to check out the dome to see how the others are getting on and maybe get Eternatus to quit being a hermit for a period."

"I hope you know what you're doing if you're trying to convince him-"

"He'll come around, it won't hurt to give it a try even if he does end up quitting on us," she replied, getting to the dome as the others followed and noticing how unusually ecstatic the dragons are. "Something tells me the dragons are really perky for some reason and it's not just the Christmas buzz."

"They've been like that since the month started and we don't know why," remarked Solar to her.

The group walked inside to see the rest of their dragon and Pokemon family having nearly finished the dome's interior with the dragons being the most excited as they looked over everything to make sure there's nothing out of place. It looked beautiful and even more so with a third plastic tree in the middle of the dome, made larger along with the ornaments and garland adorned on it thanks to Tsukumaro's magic.

"Wow, this looks pretty awesome," breathed Sarah, taking in the more festive sight of the dome just as Winter saw Sarah and flew down to her with Shadow following her before she nuzzled her rider eagerly.

"Okay, okay, Merry Christmas to you too, Winter!" laughed the princess before she warbled and jumped excitedly. "Wait a minute, slow down! What's gotten you so jumpy today?"

"She told us that she's wanted to show you something that the dragons do at this time of the year. She felt that because you trusted her and the other dragons so much, you would be given the opportunity to see what they have planned," replied Nebula as Winter continued to nuzzle her.

"Wait, really? Dragons have their own tradition during this time?"

"Yeah, Mama, she wants us to come with them to a place only they know up north of Alola in the middle of the ocean," added Nebby.

Sarah was surprised; dragons have their own tradition to attend to during the holidays, do dragons even celebrate Christmas and the winter holidays? What else doesn't she know about them that has already been known or said since they arrived?

Seeing that Winter wasn't going to let her up given how excited she was about whatever she wanted to show her, Sarah decided to join her and the other dragons with Blitz getting on her shoulder and getting on Solar as he changed back into Hovercycle Mode and allowed her to board him again. She returned most of her Pokemon barring those who can fly and after some forceful coaxing, Eternatus was eventually convinced to join his family, much to his utter chagrin.

Her Pokemon were also eager to know what the dragons have to show them so none of them have any quarrels when they were returned to their Pokeballs and tucked away in her satchel for where they and Winter are going to take them before returning home for the parties. Tsukumaro, Nikki, and James had finished everything they needed to do to spruce up the house from the interior and the exterior and the front lawn along with the goods they prepared for the party at the Pokemon School when she, the dragons, and her Pokemon that can fly (barring Eternatus as he was in his Master Ball)

"Mom, Dad, Tsukumaro, I'm going out!" she called, exiting the dome and going to the front as her parents and godfather came out.

"Now, honey?"

"Where are you going?" asked her adopted parents.

"Princess, where could you be going at a time like this?" puzzled Tsukumaro in surprise.

"It's just for a little bit and the dragons have something important to show me. They're really excited about something they want to show me so badly ever since the holiday season started and Winter wouldn't stop begging me to come with her and the other dragons."

"Okay, but make sure you're back for dinner or otherwise, Ponchita. And, don't stay too long at wherever you are!" put in James.

"Remember to have fun, dear!" called Nikki as Sarah left.

"No worries, Mom! Go on, Winter, lead the way!"

Winter roared in delight as she and Shadow led the dragons and their family to where they would be taking her, supposedly where the dragons potentially came from and crossed over into her world. Eternatus was finally let out as he wanted and reluctantly, he was forced to fly with his reptile menagerie, his trainer, Solar (still in Hovercycle Mode), Noctowl, Flygon, Hydreigon, Braviary, Nebula, Danny, Danielle, Latios, Latias, and Salamence (who were able to with their wings and psychic powers) as they followed them to who-knows-where.

"I wonder what Winter and the dragons have in store for us," Solar pondered.

"I don't know why I let you arrogant dolts talk me into this. I thought I told you I want nothing to do with this or you and your family and you had to pull that kiddy fluff card on me," grumbled Eternatus as they flew. "You dare try to get those jolly-like tunes into my head, I'll castrate my ears with what you humans call a steak knife."

"Meow, Meow, Meowstic," put in Danny, he and Danielle riding on Flygon after getting tired of flying on their own.

"I was actually making a statement through what they call a figure of speech, runt! You all don't even know where we're even going, do you?"

"I have no idea, either. But, the dragons do and I trust them as much as they trust me on anything," replied Sarah.

"Oh, I'm sure they trust you, human. Trust you enough to not blab what they're going crazy about earlier since this whole debacle even-"

"Look, I don't know what the hell it's going to take you to realize that not all humans are bad today. What's your problem, anyway? All you seem to do is just sleep in like a hermit and not make any effort to even connect with us or see if any humans today can be trustworthy! You're my responsibility, why are you so adamant about making things hard for us?"

"You know why and you're an idiot who doesn't know when to quit. Why would you even bother with going through this stupid plan of yours to rehabilitate and reform-?"

"I'm only doing what I felt was right," she responded bluntly, glaring at him with a determined frown. "You've been like a hermit and a grinch ever since I brought you to the Alola Region after I captured you and your impression of Snow White's 'Grumpy' doesn't help you. I had to put my foot down this time when Silvally mentioned why you wouldn't help us with the dome and the house!"

"You know what I mean," grumbled Eternatus. "I told you already with my opinion on humanity."

"I'm aware of that but still, this will do you some good. I want you to be happy even for a moment whether you like it or not."

"...You're not gonna let me live this thing you humans call 'crap', aren't you?"

"Not a chance, now perk up, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing you need to be happy right now. Trust us, I know what I'm doing with your rehabilitation and the dragons know what they're on about with what they have to show us."

Eternatus said nothing but his silence was a good sign for Sarah as she and everyone else with her continued flying to wherever the dragons are taking her. It took the group the best part of an hour or so to travel to the spot where Winter and her fellow dragons are taking her before they came across a thick fogbank and went through it, making sure to stay close together until it cleared and they finally came across a large island far beyond the premise of the Alola Region or any of the other regions around them.

The island they were approaching featured a circular lake in the middle of it surrounded by golden pristine sand with a series of rocky mountains and steep cliffs as well as several hot underwater water pools dotting the place. The dragons warbled and roared with glee from the sight of the island, all of them eager to land as if they knew the place and had been there before.

Sarah and her Pokemon gawked in awe from the island they're seeing from a bird's eye view as Shadow warbled to them, telling them what the island is like to him, Winter, and the other dragons.

"Fly Flygon?" asked Flygon, unable to take his eyes off of the natural beauty the island offered them as Star came out of her ball and onto Winter's back to translate for her and Shadow.

"He said this is where they came from, this island was their home until they and Winter ended up leaving before running into you and Tsukumaro at back home at Alola," she translated.

Mai and Lolita soon popped out of their balls as they landed on Latios' back and they looked on in awe at the island.

"Oooooh," cooed Mai.

"Meow, Meowth," Lolita agreed, completely floored by the island's beauty.

But, for the group before the dragons, the breathtaking view of the island from a bird's eye view was just the beginning as they came within the island's boundaries. When they finally touched down onto the beach, everyone heard a series of small chirps and coos before they saw small baby dragon triplets called Night Lights pop their heads from a rock on top of a nearby hill. They saw Winter and Shadow and cooed in delight before they flew down towards their parents and went around them before they nuzzled them happily.

As they flew, Sarah and the others noticed that despite being so young for their size, they were really cute babies and they proved themselves to be good flyers.

The unique thing about them that they noticed is that the triplets looked similar to Shadow and Winter in certain ways; the first Night Light looked like a young girl who was the only daughter and eldest child of the two older Strike Class dragons being predominantly black on her body while being coated in white with small pink tinges in her medial and posterior areas. She had Winter's eyes and even her ears and the tip of her nose are tinged with white.

The middle child of the trio and one of the little female Night Light's two younger brothers looked a lot like his mother being white all over but having several black segments on his scales, his head nubs, and on much of his tail.

The last of the triplets and the youngest of them looked a little more like his father and similar to his older sister in being black with white highlights on his body but with them being much smaller along with his head nubs, white lining along his tail fins, and an all-white underbelly. What's unique is that unlike their sister, who has sky-blue eyes, the male Night Lights shared emerald green eyes.

The three dragons cooed as they nuzzled their parents as if they had been worried and were really bored without them around to play with them which caused both older dragons to warble in apology to their babies.

When they were done nuzzling their parents lovingly, the three Night Lights then took note of their visitors including their rider to their dragon island abode, looking in particular at Eternatus, Salamence, Hydreigon, Flygon, Latios, and Latias, the female Night Light fearlessly went up to them in awe while the other two nervously squirmed a little from the sight of unknown visitors to their land.

It took a bit of loving encouragement from Shadow and Winter to coax them to join their outgoing sister but they decided to trust them and joined their sister to meet the newcomers to the island as Sarah let the rest of her family out which threw them for a loop. Even the rest of her family couldn't believe their eyes once they looked at the Night Light cubs belonging to Shadow and Winter.

"Wow, what are they?" gasped Hashimoto, amazed as he looked over the dragon cubs as Stufful shyly looked behind him.

"Vul...?" chirped Snowflake, coming up to the middle child and sniffing him curiously.

"Uei, Uei!" cried Eevee cheerfully, liking the prospect of having new, exotic friends.

"Are they...Dragons?" observed Ching Wan, kneeling down to look at the Night Lights. "They look really small to be dragons, not unlike the older ones with us."

Winter and Shadow deadpanned at the older Urshifu before the latter waddled up to him before he pulled an annoyed eye zinger and got an "OWCH!" from the large Wushu Pokemon before he warbled and nuzzled his eldest daughter, much to her glee.

"He said those three are their babies, Big Bro Ching Wan," translated Nebby. "They're called Night Lights and they're the offspring of him and Winter, two boys and one girl."

"Awwwww!" gushed Mai as she came up to the only daughter in the family and they looked at each other funny before they started to tussle and play around.

The girl's younger brothers were greeted by the Unova Starters and Poipole and exchanged friendly greetings with them before they began to play as well.

"Whoa... I know they're your babies now but what are their names?" puzzled Sarah.

Winter warbled as she nuzzled the two boys in the family, both of them looking happy to see their mother joining them and their new playmates. Surprisingly, it was Solar who ended up translating for Nebby, Nebula, and Shadow with a new program that Nate installed as part of his new upgrades.

"She said the two boys are Pouncer and Ruffrunner and their only daughter is Dart. Dart's the oldest of their triplets while Pouncer and Ruffrunner are her two little brothers," he told everyone as they watched them play with some of Sarah's Pokemon, his eyes landing on the eldest daughter first. "Dart's usually the most independent and outgoing between the three of them and is always one for adventure which often causes them to get into trouble that they might've otherwise avoided."

He then turned to the middle child as he played with Poipole, having immediately warmed up to the tiny Ultra Beast as she giggled along with Tepig and Oshawott. "That one there is Pouncer, he's Dart's younger brother and older than their baby brother by three minutes between them. He lives up to his name - energetic and playful and loved to pick fights with his brother back then. He's much less circumspect being nearly as fearless as Dart so it falls onto her to reel him in when he lets his curiosity get the better of him."

Finally, the lion Beast Bot looked at the youngest of the Night Lights and Dart and Pouncer's baby brother as he tussled a little with Sylveon, Scorch, Cufant, and Eevee while they laughed with Charmander watching over them. "And, we have their baby brother and the follow-the-leader Night Light of the trio, Ruffrunner. He's not as adventurous or curious as opposed to his older siblings and prefers to curl up and snooze whenever he's not playing with Pouncer. So, you might want to watch out for when he sleeps mid-flight since he has a tendency to often be dragged into Dart's misadventures."

"Lycan, Roc, Lycan?" asked a baffled Luna, his and Dusk eye's widened as they stared in awe.

"Goo, Goodra, Goo, Goo?" added Goodra, just as shocked from seeing Solar translate Winter's warbles with ease.

"I also had a new animal translator built into me by Nate when he and his friends made those upgrades on me so whatever Winter, Solar, and the other dragons have to say, I can help with that, too," replied the Beast Bot as he noticed Ruffrunner joining Pouncer to play with Poipole in the air before he fell asleep mid-flight before she and Noctowl gently caught him as he snoozed. "Good thing he did so or else we wouldn't know about that."

Winter and Shadow sighed as they shook Ruffrunner away from his short nap and he immediately jolted before he cooed and warbled happily at his parents before he nuzzled them again, making everybody barring a few send some coos back at him for his cuteness.

"You mean those little pipsqueaks are actually babies from two lizards like them?" asked Eternatus incredulously and out of the blue, who had been in stunned silence from what he had seen.

The three Night Lights heard Eternatus as they stopped playing with their new friends and looked at him, wide-eyed and in stunned awe over the Gigantic Pokemon looking down on him despite his completely brash, blunt, abrasive, and extremely gruff tone. Then, Dart and her brothers quickly flew up to his face and cooed at him, their eyes twinkling as they tilted their heads at him.

"What are you runts looking at?" questioned the former Darkest Day suspiciously.

They chirped curiously at him before they looked him all over, amazed that he was the most unusual dragon they've ever seen because of his odd body and the fact that he glowed from the Galar Particles resonating within him. Finally, they warmed up to the giant beast and nuzzled him happily, making him splutter in shock as he tried to shake them off. This garnered warbled laughter from the dragons, particularly from Winter and Shadow.

"Hey, cut it-EY! Stop-! Would you, urgh-! Get away from-! Why, you little-! Wha-!? I'm-DAH!" snarled the Gigantic Pokemon in bewilderment and annoyance as they nuzzled him over and over again each time he tried to force them off, which only made the dragons laugh harder at him before he glared at Sarah. "For the last time...! You witch, this is your fault! Why did you have to inquire about these lizard babies and I get this?!"

"Chill out, Eternatus! They've probably taken to you the most because you're the most unique dragon in the world!" Sarah retorted with an amused smirk at him. "They're probably not scared of humans like me and they don't see you as a threat because you're a dragon just like them! Can I help it if they become the first members of your new fan club?"

"Shut up..." he groaned with a low growl, humiliated from being coddled on by Winter and Shadow's children.

"Nya, Nya, Nya, Nya, Nya, Nya-Nya, Nya!" chirped Skitty as he wagged his tail, liking the idea of Eternatus having some friends in Dart, Pouncer, and Ruffrunner.

This irked Eternatus as he glared at the cheerful and peppy Kitten Pokemon as the Night Lights still cuddled him before angrily blurting out in humiliation, "I didn't ask for your opinion, you snarky little pussy cat!"

"Nya, Nya!" smiled Skitty, unaffected by Eternatus' annoyance and insult as everyone laughed even harder.

But, everyone was brought out of their laughter at Eternatus when they heard another coo from nearby their current location. And, from the mountains, out came a magenta-coated, yellow-striped, and white-horned Titan Wing Dramillion. The sight of the female dragon brought a happy warble from Camo and excited roars from his kids as the female Dramillion approached them and nuzzled each of them lovingly from the little Dramillions to her now-known mate.

Sarah was shocked along with her Pokemon and Solar to see another dragon just like Camo but being a female and mother to their five baby Dramillions.

"Hmm, love runs deep in them," remarked Silvally with a raised eyebrow.

But, the appearance of Camo's mate, Dart, Pouncer, and Ruffrunner were just the start as more excited roars and warbles rang out from the island. Six more wild dragons came flying in from the mountains that looked similar to Silver, Skystorm, Sunflare, Starfire, Inferno, and Venom, all of them differing slightly by their color schemes to determine their genders as well as their sizes for each dragon who are their mates.

With Mist and Spark, they soon noticed another, much larger Titan Wing Hideous Zippleback flying down after the other six dragons' mates. The two heads belonging to the larger Mystery Class dragon looked happy and relieved to see them as if they were deeply worried for them, nuzzling both Mist and Spark as they groaned from their worry but smiling nonetheless.

Melody, Echo, Twilight, and Dawn, on the other hand, nuzzled each other happily as if they were glad to be home since they've once been on the island that had been their previous home before moving into the Alola Region discreetly.

As for their names, Skystorm's male Deadly Naddler mate (who was larger than her) was named Flystorm. He was a mostly orange and pale green Deadly Nadder male who also light blue around his nose and legs. His nasal horn was smaller and less curved compared to Skystorm and he also had a more complete underbite and a more robust jaw.

The name of Sunflare's male mate (who's larger than an average-sized Monstrous Nightmare, a Titan Wing Monstrous Nightmare) came from the mythical bird of legends, Pheonix. His hide was mottled with rich blood red and a deep dark purple. His horns and claws are black, while his eyes are pale yellow

Nova was the name of Inferno's female Titan Wing Singetail (double his size with him being a Broad Wing Singetail, which he didn't mind). She was blood-red with dark red to maroon muzzle, socks, and markings and as big as Camo and his mate.

The male Razorwhip dragon named Whiplash looked like Silver's twin barring his red scale edges and his ocean blue eyes.

Rosethorn was the name of Venom's pale pink and white-winged and under-bellied Triple Stryke with golden-fire patterns atop her brown head appendages, golden spikes and claws, dark pink eyes, and three white, pink, and gold tails coupled with dark pink tail stingers.

Finally, there was Starfire's male dark blue, light blue, and turquoise-and-dark-striped winged Stormcutter simply named Reignstorm.

"Hey, where'd they come from?" quizzed Ching Wan, surprised to see many dragons appearing to the ones already in their family.

But, the mates of the other dragons and Mist and Spark's two-headed parent dragon weren't the only ones to appear and be happy for their return. A small flock of dragon babies belonging to the other couples barring Mist and Spark, Twilight, Dawn, Echo, and Melody, came into the scene

"Dragon babies! WHEE!" cried Mai, her cuteness overload kicking into overdrive.

Much of the group's hearts fluttered in stunned awe and their cuteness overload kicked into high gear in seeing the babies belonging to the other dragon couples, the babies nuzzling and crying as they felt overjoyed over their parents having come back to them after an extended period of time.

The offspring of Skystorm and Flystorm were in various colors, all of them being female with spikes on their bodies as well but while one of them shared Skystorm's exact appearance, the second hatchling was purple and yellow, and the third looking exactly like her father, their teeth, horns, spines, claws, and talons were not as sharp and smooth as those of their parents. Their names, appropriately given by their parents to suit their looks, are Pearl (the eldest), Amethyst (the middle child), and the youngest of the three, Diamond.

The offspring belonging to Sunflare and Phoenix are two boys named Pyre and Wildfire, both of them being dark purple with dark violet-red wings colored with yellow spike-shaped patterns and fins, coupled with small yellow teeth, horns, and claws, topped off with light pink eyes and dark black pupils.

The offspring of Silver and Whiplash, on the other hand, was their only daughter who had their matching silver coat but having been born blind with her eyes shut as per the rest of her species. But, the two Razorwhips loved her so much, they didn't care about that little handicap of hers. Appropriately, they lovingly named their only blind daughter, Skylar.

The offspring courtesy of Venom and Rosethorn is also their only daughter with her mother's colors, resulting in a sense of great pride from the two Triple Strykes, rightfully and lovingly named Flora.

Starfire and Reignstorm have an only son in their family with blue, white, and golden yellow blending into his wings, a blue belly, white/off-white head frills, and golden horns across his eyes. The horns across his eyes and his moonlit-night-inspired color scheme inspired them to name him Crescent.

Finally, Inferno and Nova's only son had dark spots on his back and wings with the edges of his wings being bright red while his tail wings are a vibrant orange affixed to his yellow and orange-pattered tail. His horns and spike were also a bright red with his claws at his base being a dark red as well, only turning white towards the tip, topped off with blood-red eyes. This unique warm color scheme of his led his parents to proudly give him the name of Sunset.

The others could hardly believe it; their babies (or parents, in Mist and Spark's case) and the prospect of a return to this island home was why the dragons were so ecstatic about the holiday season rolling in. The dragons had a reason to come to the island and their babies and parents were the primary reason for much of them.

"Oh, now I get it! You all had your own families to deal with before meeting up with me!" gasped Sarah in realization. "You were worried about how they were doing so you wanted to come here to see if they're doing fine without you being there for them!"

"Tep, Tepig, Tepig, Tep, Pig, Pig, Pig, Tepig, Tep, Tepig?" asked Tepig in astonishment, never realizing that the dragons had their own families before until now.

"Interesting, it seems like the dragons also have their own way of celebrating Christmas but they're not too different from us Pokemon and humans if they have their own families to attend to," mused Zarude, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he looked at all the dragon families.

The younger Pokemon and the dragon offsprings began to play with each other as they all introduced themselves to one another. Even Stufful was having fun with them when she made herself known and slowly started to get over her shy nature in their case.

This caused Dart, Pouncer, and Ruffrunner to stop coddling Eternatus (much to his relief) and bounded over to them, roughhousing and playing with their new friends, all the while being mindful not to go too rough of the newborns before them. As they played and rolled on each other, the Night Lights eventually bumped into a large rock nearby and gasped in awe at what they found behind it, causing them to roar and chirp at the others.

"Leaf, Leafe?" questioned Leafeon, pointing at Shadow and Winter's children, chirping and jumping for them to come with them.

"Ampharos, Ros?" quizzed Candy as they joined the Night Lights.

"Milo, Lo..." replied Milotic, unsure of what they found behind the rock.

The Night Lights brought the objects they found behind the rock to the group but to everyone's surprise, Dart carried a sleeping baby Death Song on her back while Pouncer and Ruffrunner rolled five Deathgripper eggs into view.

"Flare, Flareon..." gasped Flareon, seeing the tiny Death Song Dart was carrying.

"Espe, Espeon, Esp, Espe," breathed Espeon, astonished from seeing the eggs her brothers rolled out for everyone to see.

"Phenomenal, those little Night Lights have discovered a baby Death Song and five Deathgripper eggs," breathed Calyrex in amazement. "But, why would such a creature be living out here with these little ones instead of a nest somewhere deeper in this island?"

"Glace, Glace!" cooed Glaceon, looking at the snoozing baby Death Song.

"Jolt, Jolte, Jolt? Jolt, Jolteon, Jolt," remarked Jolteon, seeing the baby Death Song as "cool" and not "cute".

Then, the baby Death Song opened its sleepy eyes before it yawned and its vision cleared to find the dragons, Sarah, her Pokemon, and Solar staring at it.

It cooed at them curiously as it looked all over them, not knowing know the new faces were. By the soft coos, the dragons and their children could tell that the baby was actually a girl. Soon, her eyes turned to Melody and Echo, the two dragons waddling forward to look at the baby as well. Wanting to try something out, the older Death Song and Silthersong spat amber in front of her which resulted in the baby spitting amber back at them.

This surprised the dragon couple before they decided to go a step further, singing their traditional siren-like Death Song/Slithersong lullabies before the baby soon copied Melody's singing.

"What the hell are we looking at?" remarked Silvally.

"What is this?" asked Ching Wan.

"Yamper, Yamper?" barked Yamper inquisitively, thinking it's a singing contest.

Winter, also surprised by what she was seeing, warbled again to the group as Solar translated for her, "She said this is the adoption process of a Death Song and a Slithersong."

"Adoption?!" gawked everyone in surprise as the older dragons nodded while Melody, Echo, and the baby continued to sing.

Shadow nodded in confirmation, warbling how the process worked despite a drawback on that front. "He said that Death Songs usually abandon their young not long after they hatched and that they're often hostile towards their own kind. But, in this case, a hatchling like the one his children found can be adopted by an older Death Song per willing, provided they can sing a song that it likes," translated Solar again.

"Does that also apply to Silthersongs, too?" put in Nebby curiously.

Solar shrugged, "Maybe, I don't know about that. In Echo's case, it could be."

"Wow, that's the first time I've heard anything like that although I'll have to cry foul at the abandoning part," remarked Sarah.

"If that's how it was for Melody's species, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do to change that. It's their choice and their choice alone, we can't make it for them even if we wanted to."

Sarah reluctantly agreed and by the time the female baby Death Song had finished singing, she was able to match Melody and Echo's song perfectly and without a note out of tune. This delighted the Mystery Class dragons as they nuzzled each other and roared happily to Twilight and Dawn to meet their new daughter, causing the surprised younger Deathgripper dragons to waddle up to them and look at their new baby sister.

The younger Strike Class dragons tilted their heads at her in confusion before the tiny Death Song cooed back and tilted her own head at them before she giggled. Twilight and Dawn could only smile, maybe she wouldn't be so bad for them to have around as a sister.

Soon, the little Death Song fluttered her wings and she started flying before noticing her family's friends, their rider, her Beast Bot, and her Pokemon along with them before she cutely fluttered over to Sarah and gently nuzzled her chest gently while cooing.

"Aww, hello..." cooed the princess back as she rubbed her.

Eternatus looked on in bewilderment before he groaned and sharply turned away while moaning, "Idiot..."

Nobody paid any attention as they were too enamored on the baby Death Song's cuteness as she landed on all fours and looked at her extended family with widened, fascinated eyes. But, her reaction to Mai, who had crawled forward to meet her, was different when they came across each other.

"Wow, she's cute..." cooed the Mimikyu.

The sight of her, feeling like she was an actual ghost, left the Death Song silent for a moment before she eventually cried out of fear from the top of her lungs. Everyone screamed as they tried to block out her terror-filled cries, feeling as though she was using a legit Screech Attack.

"OW, OW, OW! I TAKE IT BACK!" screamed Mai, regretting her previous actions.

"MAKE IT STOP!"

"MY EARS!"

"MOM, DO SOMETHING!"

"MAMA!"

"WHAT IS THIS INFERNAL NOISE?!" screamed some of the Pokemon.

"That's the baby's screaming fit!" cried Solar.

"WHAT WOULD'VE MADE THE BABY START CRYING NOW AFTER BEING SO FRIENDLY ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN SHE WAS ADOPTED?" questioned Zarude, trying to resist the baby Death Song's screaming as he held his ears.

Everyone tried to think of ideas to calm the crying baby dragon down but many of them ended up drawing blanks (well, Eternatus didn't bother since he was annoyed and aggravated by her cries as he turned away). But then, Sarah's eyes widened as she opened them as if she remembered something that could help soothe the frightened baby. Quickly, she unsheathed her ears and went over to the panicked dragon baby, taking her in her arms and rocked her gently before she started to sing.

(Lullaby Melody - Jukebox Band (ft. The Flexitoon Puppets))

Hushabye, don't you cry~

Go to sleepy, little baby~

When you wake, you shall have~

All the pretty little horses~

Blacks and greys, dapples and rays, coach and quarrel little horses~

Hushabye, don't you cry~

Go to sleepy, little baby~

As she sang, everyone watched in surprise and astonishment as the baby Death Song started to calm down and stop crying, the sweet sound of her voice slowly making her fall asleep as she was gently rocked back and forth.

Golden slumbers kiss your eyes~

Smiles awake when you rise~

Sleep pretty darling, do not cry~

And, I will sing a lullaby~

Lullaby, lullaby, lullaby~

When she finally ended her little lullaby, the Death Song loved it so much and was so entranced by it, she immediately fell asleep and snored quietly and cutely. Her Pokemon watched in awe as their trainer/human mother was able to soothe the frightened dragon into a deep sound sleep.

"How did you do that?" gasped Hashimoto in shock.

"It was a lullaby that my real mom and dad sang to me before the Ultra Beast War happened," she replied, a sad glint in her eyes. "I was a baby when they sang it to me but they've sung it so many times before then and it became engraved into my memory. It just popped into my head..."

"Damn, color me impressed," remarked Silvally, still stunned over his human mother's trick. "I never thought you'd pull it off or else that living airhorn would've ruptured my eardrums."

Melody warbled in awe and fascination at Sarah, wondering how she managed to get her to sleep like that. "Looks like she wanted to know how you knew how to calm her down, Sarah. Death Song hatchlings like that can only be calmed done when they're feed or somebody sings to them," translated Solar, also impressed.

"Yeah, what kind of lullaby is it?" asked Star, still fascinated.

"Whenever I need to sleep, my mom and dad back then would always sing it to me. It was their favorite out of all the things they sang to me before Lothor attacked, it never fails to put me to sleep every night... It's been so long since I've heard it but I've always heard it while growing up and it never left me, even after I came here through Tsukumaro's time portal spell..."

"You're out of your damn mind to pull off a crazy flab like that, Ms. Lullaby," remarked Eternatus in disbelief.

"It worked, didn't it? We just got to remember to feed her when she's hungry or just sing a song like my parents' lullaby to her when she's scared or cranky."

"Pika, Pika, Pikachu, Pi, Pika?" asked Blitz, pointing in indication to the Deathgripper eggs.

Charmander thought for a moment before he nodded and decided to take one of the eggs and bring it to Sarah. Since he and his family had no idea what happened to whoever was looking after them and no other dragons had come to claim them, he decided that they should be taken in under his trainer's care as special holiday guests until something can be done.

He was soon joined by Latios and Latias as they each took two of the remaining eggs with Psychic and brought them over to Sarah. "La, La?" questioned Latias.

"...Well, gang, it looks like we're going to have company this Christmas," she decided after seeing what her Eon Pokemon and Charmander did.

"I'll say, when did you start becoming a dragon leprechaun? Did you happen to be struck by the luck of the Irish dragons or something?" joked Silvally, getting a small chuckle out of a few of the other Pokemon and Solar. Sarah just rolled her eyes with no retort, she had to admit she had been lucky to come across the baby Death Song and the Deathgripper eggs.

She then looked to her dragons' families, seeing that it's time for everyone to return home. "Well, guys, I guess it's time for us to head back and I don't know how everybody else would react but at least things would be lively this holiday season. What do you say, want to join us for the party?" she asked.

The dragons' families and mates roared happily, all of them looking forward to spending much-needed time with their loved ones throughout the season until they have to leave or otherwise.

---

It was late afternoon by the time everyone left the island and returned to Sarah's home on Melemele Island and despite some complications with Ruffrunner nearly falling asleep mid-flight (which he had to be helped onto Nebby by Danny and Danielle), they were able to make it back safely. Nebby had to carry the rest of the dragons' offspring on his back, barring the ones that can fly easily, since they were too young right now to fly against the wind currents.

When they did return, her adopted parents and Tsukumaro were surprised to find out that the dragons had babies and mates in their former island abode and of the baby Death Song and Deathgripper eggs their adopted daughter/goddaughter brought home. Additionally, they were joined by three more dragons who were good friends with the mates of her respective dragons - two of them being peaceful, solitude-living Tidal Class dragons that mainly acted as bodyguards for their island home and the third but much younger Stoker Class dragon being a Terrible Terror. Their names, according to the other dragons are Tidal - the Tide Glider, Hurricane - the Windwalker, and Lilac.

When they met up with their friends and heard that they were going to visit the Alola Region for some time together with their families for the holiday season, they requested to join them to keep them company and to get to know their mates' rider better. This also meant that they'll leave their home unguarded for a short period for Tidal and Hurricane but they didn't mind given that there are others who would look after their home in their place.

Eventually, after getting to meet the mates and younglings of the princess' dragons, Nikki, Tsukumaro, and James couldn't resist taking them in as honorary house guests for the holiday buzz. They were delighted to know that the dragons also had families of their own to look after and they wanted to spend as much time as they can with them after being away from them for so long.

Of course, after introductions were taken care of, Shadow, Winter, and their fellow dragons showed their mates, friends, and younglings their new home of the Pokemon Dragon Heart Dome and the baby dragons immediately took to it like it was a home away from home, chirping excitedly as they flew around and looked over the dome and its habitats with their parents, Tidal, his brother, and Lilac settling down easily after many months apart.

Wanting to make things even better for her dragons' families, she even offered to show them a surprise at the holiday festivities to come, which they immediately accepted.

---

Finally, the big day arrived after much time for the dragons to catch up and spend the family time they so desperately craved and everyone was having a blast at Sarah's house with the party in full swing. As Evox and his goons had either been defeated earlier or have not emerged as of late, the Beast Morphers rangers and Commander Shaw were able to take time off duty and make the trip to Alola from Coral Harbor.

Even Leon, Prof. Magnolia, Sonia, Victor, Gloria, and Hop were able to make the trip after settling down following the Champion Cup.

Kukui's Christmas party prior (which was an open house celebration) was a rousing success for everyone in Alola who had come to celebrate the festivities and now, it was Sarah and her family's turn to host their own Christmas party comprised of personal friends and family they've met since her first meeting with the gang at the Pokemon School including Devon, Ravi, and Zoey's Beast Bots, Blaze, Roxy, Ben, Betty, Mayor Daniels, Ms. Anela, Faba, and Wicke.

Everyone had brought gifts, treats, and food for all to enjoy and the atmosphere was enamoring. Of course, with the appearance of Shadow and Winter, Inferno, Silver, Starfire, Sunflare, Skystorm, Venom, and Mist and Spark's families, the guests of honor were gobsmacked and amazed from seeing Sarah's dragons actually having babies or a parent themselves along with the reveal of Tidal, Hurricane, and Lilac. But, the new dragons warmed up to them as well and they were humbled.

But, that wasn't all for Mallow and the others had finally revealed what their surprise cake was for Sarah's Christmas party. With a hearty and cheerful "Ta-Da!" from Mallow and a rousing "Cake Time!" from Ash, Sphocles, Lana, Lillie, and Kiawe coupled with exploding party poppers and loud honks from party horns from their Pokemon partners, they revealed the cake to be of Nebby and Solar side-by-side on a bed of Alola frosting flowers.

The sight of the grand and glorious cake gained quite a rousing applause from everyone and after a few heartwarming speeches from Sarah, her family, and her Alola and Kanto friends, it was time for the party to begin. Everyone had a slice of the cake but Eternatus, not one for partying or sweets, just nudged it away from him.

Throughout the party, everyone played games, sang, danced, and mingled as they got together to catch up on whatever's going on their ends since their last meetings and such.

Then, it was time for the gift-giving for everybody in the party known simply as the game of Secret Santa.

Through surprise roundabouts, everyone picked whatever gifts that were supposedly for them by one of the other folks. And, when they opened them to find out what's inside, what they found inside the boxes they're in really got them laughing and in a fit of happiness.

For Devon, Ravy, Zoey, Nate, and Steel, to their surprise and excitement, each of them got one Pokemon partner for themselves as an additional thanks for helping their fellow rangers save the Galar Region from Rose and Eternatus.

For Devon, he got his hands on the Alola Fire Starter, Litten; Ravi was humbled and in awe from his partner being a regular-colored Riolu (which Smash just adored); Zoey has been lovingly paired with an energetic Scorbunny to the amusement of Jax, and Nate and Steel were given a regular-colored and Shiny Noctowl in honor of them being brothers.

Commander Shaw was even given a beautiful Milotic by Sarah personally, whom she and her son deemed the perfect partner for her.

Blaze and Roxy were given a Sark for the former's proficient expertise in Karate and an Altaria with a Mega Stone and golden Keystone necklace for her compassion for the environment and her will to protect nature's beauty as a former ranger. Ben and Betty, on the other hand, were gifted with a fun-loving Abombasnow and kind-hearted Froslass, which they loved dearly.

Even Mayor Daniels was given a Gallade who had taken a shine to him as an honorary human partner through his swordsman's honor, which impressed Devon's father.

Sonia and Prof. Magnolia were gifted with three new Pokemon with a Growlithe and Rockruff joining Sonia and her Yamper to be her partner's new playmates and an Alolan Ninetails for her grandmother, who was perfect for their icy beauty and temperament, which she delightedly approved of.

As for Leon and the Postwick Trio, they were given special Wayfinder bracelets made by Lillie and the girls equipped with Charcoal, Mystic Water, and Miracle Seed pendants for them and their partners.

Finally, it was Sarah's turn to give out the gifts she got for her Pokemon from Black Friday. She admitted she lucked out when it came to Black Friday sales she encountered since much of the things she found were at a hefty 50-90% discount on Pokeballs and such which got a good laugh out of everyone.

For Clayrex, Glastrier, and Spectrier - a pair of necklaces holding a Never Melting Ice for Glastrier and a Spell Tag for Spectrier for a boost in their Ice Type and Ghost Type attacks and a Focus Sash coupled with a braided bracelet holding a Miracle Seed and Twisted Spoon for their father for a boost in his Grass Type and Psychic Type attacks in addition to a resistance defense against a 1-Hit KO.

Danny, Danielle, Ponyta, Rapidash, and Espeon were also given Twisted Spoon necklaces for their own Psychic attack boosts.

Lolita was given a new pair of black glasses for a more stylish and modern chic kind of look for the royal Scratch Cat Pokemon and Yamper was awarded a Magnet Collar for a boost in his Electric Type attacks, which he can't get enough of.

With Eevee and Skitty, the power of their Normal Type attacks was doubled with their being given Silk Scarves while Charmeleon, Scorch, Tepig, and Flareon were given Charcoal collars for their Fire Type attack boosts similar to the Charcoal Bracelets given to Leon and Victor.

Hashimoto and Ching Wan were delighted when they were given two Black Belts (tied around their waists) similar to the Black Belt belonging to Star (which she's now wearing around her head like a headband) and both felt a sense of martial arts pride from having what is generally considered the master mark of Karate in their hands.

As for Nebby, Nebula, Silvally, Goodra, Candy, Poipole, Raboot, Cufant, Dracovish, Arctozolt, and Dracozolt, for added formidability in their individual move sets, they were each given eleven Expert Belts (although Nebby and Nebula's belts had to be custom made to fit their new sizes from their evolutions prior).

Braviary and Noctowl were given two new Sharp Beak necklaces for a Flying Type attack increase and Zarude was given a braided Miracle Seed bracelet for his Grass Type attack power increase. Mudsdale and Stufful were also given two Muscle Bands made into Bandanas tied around their necks to give them an increase in their Physical attacks, which the latter chirped happily to have something to help make her feel more comfortable and be more confident in herself.

An Ability Patch was given to Sylveon in the hopes of changing her old Cute Charm ability to Pixilate to fulfill the Intertwining Pokemon's long-awaited wish to perform Fairy Type attacks, her delight being well known when all her Normal Type attacks were changed to Fairy Type attacks after wearing it.

Luna and Dusk were even given a pair of bracelets holding Hard Stones for each of them for a Rock Type attack increase which they wore along the Midnight Lycanroc's right arm and the Dusk Lycanroc's front right leg.

Despite not being Pokemon and getting no power-ups from them, Winter and her fellow dragons were delighted to receive Dragon Fangs to be used as decorations for their Armor Collars and Armor Bracelets.

That only left six presents of various sizes left on the table when everyone had finished which left everyone surprised; nobody knew who they were for but only Sarah out of all of them (barring Rotom-Dex and the Galar crew) knew as she prepared to spill the beans over who they were for. As the princess took a deep breath, she sighed; it was time to reveal to everybody what she had been hiding from them ever since her camping trip with her Alola friends and for the Beast Morphers rangers and their own friends and families to know about two Pokemon she knew in Alola with them.

"Everyone, I have something to say involving those last presents," she announced, drawing their attention to her as she continued. "I'm sure you all are wondering who these presents belonged to and why I got them with me."

"Really, what's the big secret you have for us?" asked Ben.

"Don't keep us in suspense, Sarah. Who are the presents for?" nodded Betty in agreement.

"Yeah, what's the deal with those presents, who'd you get 'em for?" added Ash, also curious.

"These six presents here are for a special group of Pokemon that have been helping me with my destiny. While I've been juggling my normal life with my ranger training, I've also been taking private lessons with my godfather, Tsukumaro, the Thunderclap Wanderer, Zeraora, and his pupil, Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokemon to improve my swordsmanship and make myself a more formidable foe as the princess I'm meant to be against Lothor and Team Eclipse."

"Wow, you've must've had work cut out for you to train with him and a Legendary Pokemon, let alone a mythical Pokemon," gasped Ravi in awe.

"I remember stories about Zeraora being a Pokemon who protects Pokemon from human beings who'd try to do them harm but I never imagined you having met one," added Nate in amazement.

Commander Shaw nodded, intrigued by what Sarah was telling everyone, "Indeed, this has also been enlightening. But, interestingly, the reports we've been hearing also mentioned that not only have you've been able to capture Eternatus and put an end to his vengeance against humanity, you also had help from not only Zorua and Zeraora but from four Pokemon who are expertly skilled at swordplay who kept some of Macro Cosmos' guards at bay with help from Sonia and her Yamper at Hammerlocke Stadium's entrance. That must mean you had assistance from some very formidable Pokemon that we've recently uncovered from the Unova Region."

"You knew, Commander?" gasped Sarah in surprise.

"No, but we've looked over the reports over how you and your friends were able to end Rose and his company's evil and had an idea on how those guards failed to stop you from doing the right thing. I've also been brushing up on some Legendary Pokemon history to see if what we saw is really them."

"Don't get us wrong, Sarah. We were going out on a limb when we also found footage of those same Pokemon joining you guys on the top of the stadium to subdue Eternatus and when we figured out who those Pokemon were with you all, we were thrown for a loop when we discovered who or what they really are," put in Zoey gently.

"Yeah, when we saw who made those Hyper Beam, Flash Cannon, Magical Leaf, and Focus Blast attacks according to the news footage of your battle and looked them up, we were shocked, to say the least," added Steel. "We've heard much about them as well but we never imagined they'd be with you in Alola instead of Unova."

"What are you talking about?" asked Kiawe, genuinely confused.

"Sarah, what are you saying?" pondered Lana.

"Who are those Pokemon that helped you?" added Sophocles. "Do you know anything about them?"

Sarah just nodded quietly before she turned to Ash. "Ash, do you remember when you told us about your adventures in the Unova Region with Cilan and Iris, of your adventures when you encountered Unova's Legendary Pokemon?" she questioned.

"Yeah, we met the likes of Victini, Reshiram, Zekrom, Genesect, and another Mewtwo," nodded Ash in confirmation.

"Pika, Pikachu," added Pikachu, smiling.

"Do you know of four Pokemon that are supposed to be experts in swordplay and protect humans and Pokemon and one of them is supposed to have battled a Dragon Pokemon called Kyurem one time?"

"Yeah, those Pokemon, I'd-wait! You mean the Swords of Justice?!"

"Pika?!"

"Yep, those are the ones," nodded the princess, leaving her Alola and Kanto friends and their partners in stunned silence from the revelation before they spoke up.

"You don't mean-?!"

"No way!"

"Y-You know the Swords of Justice from the Unova Region?!"

"The Swords of Justice; Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo, too?!"

"You gotta be kidding!"

"Why didn't you tell us?" the Alola gang spluttered.

"I'm sorry. But, I had to keep them a secret from you for their sake."

"Why didn't you just tell us right from the get-go? We could've helped you with your training, too!" grumbled Ash, feeling betrayed. "We're your friends, Sarah, you could've let us know and we'd give you a hand when you needed it. I personally knew them and so do my Unova friends, I can't believe you lied to us about them!"

"Pika!" agreed Pikachu, gnashing his teeth furiously.

"Don't you trust us, Sarah?" begged Lana.

"Sarah, you shouldn't have lied to us about them after knowing about them. We would've been able to do something about your training had you let us in on them being in Alola," added Mallow, feeling hurt.

"Do not be rash, children. It's true that Sarah should've told you but she had a valid reason for leaving you in the dark as she did until recently. She had to be more considerate for their safety as much as her own," defended Commander Shaw, coming to Sarah's defense. "If Lothor and his followers or Evox ever found out about the Swords of Justice, they would strike at an opportune moment to capture them and use them for their own purposes. There's no doubt that Legendary Pokemon are powerful and I'm sure you also know about those Pokemon Hunters that would do anything to capture them and sell them to the highest bidder in the black market."

"Why would she keep us in the dark about them, anyway?" retorted Ash to the Grid Battleforce Commander, still not satisfied as he and Pikachu glared at her.

"That much is obvious. If not Sarah, then you and your friends would've staged a reckless attempt at protecting them from the forces of evil that would be after them after having met them for the same purpose."

Ash's breathing hitched as he and Pikachu looked at each other before they sighed sadly in resignation along with the others after thinking over her words. Commander Shaw was right; after all, if they and their Pokemon met the Swords of Justice and if they were in her shoes instead, how would things be any different with them and Sarah?

"You're right, Commander. I guess we wouldn't have acted differently if we slipped up anything about them at a moment's notice when we're not careful," sighed Kiawe sadly.

"That's true," Mallow agreed. "I'm sure Team Skull would go nuts if they found out and we jeopardized their safety in a way."

"They'd be gone if we're not careful," added Lana.

"And, if anything happened to them because of us, we'd never forgive ourselves," mused Sophocles worriedly.

"That's why she had to lie to us about them, she was only trying to protect them the only way she knew how," thought Lillie.

Ash sighed as he and Pikachu looked at Sarah, now knowing what their leader's intentions for the Swords of Justice's safety are. "Sorry, Sarah, I shouldn't have doubted you like that. I would've done the same thing had I'd been in your shoes and I'd have to do what I can to keep them a secret from anybody," he apologized.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu agreed, apologetically.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, too. I should've had the courage to tell you all about them instead of keeping silent," apologized Sarah back. "I was only doing what I thought was right to protect them and you as well. I'll never forgive myself if anything happened to them, I owe them much of my training. They were a crucial reason why I'm the ranger I am now. So, are we good...?"

She held out a hand for a handshake to Ash, hoping that he and the others would forgive her for lying to them about the Swords of Justice for their sake. Ash looked at her hand before he smiled softly and accepted her hand.

"Yeah, frosty," he nodded.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, no longer feeling mad.

"That goes double for us, Sarah," added Mallow, placing her hand on theirs.

"Yeah!" declared the others with determined smiles directed at her, placing their hands on top of them as well.

There was no more quarrel between them and their leader and best friend after thinking the situation over. They truly would've done the same had it been them in her shoes.

"Thanks, guys..." she nodded as everyone else smiled (barring Eternatus, who had decided to snooze off back at the dome).

She then turned to the remaining presents and took them in her hands and arms before she made her way to the door. "Well, I better get these over to our special guests. I'll be back," she told everyone as Solar followed to give her a hand, leaving everybody else to continue mingling until she returned.

With her presents for Zeraora, Zorua, and the Swords of Justice on a small wagon tied to her Beast Bot, Sarah rode on Solar (as the Beast-X Solar Rider) to the Thunderclap Pokemon's floral field. The ride was peaceful and jolly the whole way through as the Melemele Island residents greeted her happily despite not knowing about her mystery gifts for the Pokemon she's going to visit.

It wasn't long before they finally reached Zeraora's field, seeing the Pokemon in question, his apprentice, and her mentors relaxing after a long day of training and contemplation until the small group took notice of them visiting their Alolan home. But, they were also surprised to see Solar as a motorcycle now before he went back to his original form after his partner unhooked the wagon.

"Hey, guys!" called Sarah with a smile.

"Ah, Princess, you came," Virizion smiled.

"Merry Christmas, kid!" snickered Zorua as she got on Zeraora's left shoulder.

"So, Princess, how was everything down below? I thought you'd been with your family and friends right now enjoying a party," questioned Terrakion with a smile before he noticed the wagon holding their presents. "And, what are all those colored boxes for?"

"I had a Black Friday shopping spree last month and I thought I'd do something for you just to say 'thank you' for everything you've done to help me with my training," she told the Cavern Pokemon, much to their surprise.

"Wow, Sarah, you shouldn't have," began Keldeo, awestruck. "That's really nice of you but you really didn't have to do this, y'know."

"You've done a lot for me ever since you came to Alola at my godfather's request. You've helped me to become the princess and the ranger that I am right now with all the training you've given me. Sure, I'm not done yet and I still have a long way to go but I wanted to thank you for what you did, even saving me and the Eevee Squad from those Pokemon hunters months ago."

Zeraora purred knowingly as he nodded; he never forgot how close they were to losing her when she and Sylveon were caught in an electric net. Seeing as how they can't deny her act of kindness to them, they humbly accepted the gifts she had given them.

"So, what exactly do you have for us, Princess?" put in Cobalion as he came forward.

Sarah smiled as she took the boxes from the wagon and brought them over. "You'll see once you open them," she replied cryptically.

As she was handing out the last presents to the Pokemon with her and Solar, her Alola and Kanto friends along with the rest of their guests were setting things up for Sarah's return. After their honorary guests and friends had given THEM their gifts, they were now sorting through the last round of presents belonging to the ranger and girl of honor. It would be Sarah's turn for a Secret Santa upon her return to the house and they wanted to surprise her when she came back from her little outing.

By the time they were finished and Sarah and Solar had returned after their little outing, their gifts for her were ready. Soon, Sarah and Solar returned home and they were ready to finish off their Secret Santa and none of them could hold back their excitement, nor were they prepared for what the little princess would surprise them with after coming back.

"Hey, Sarah, you finished delivering those presents?" asked Blaze.

"Are you ready for your own presents from us?" smiled Roxy.

"Yep, and you'll never guess who I brought with me," she smiled before turning to the door. "Hey, guys! Come on in, I want you to meet my family and my friends!"

The visitors she called to enter her adopted family's house entered and as they revealed themselves, everyone was shocked, surprised, amazed, and awe-stricken to see Zeraora, Zorua, and the Swords of Justice come into view but with one significant difference - they were wearing Sarah's new gifts for them.

When Cobalion, Virizion, Terrakion, and Keldeo were given their gifts, they were stunned and in awe by what the princess had for them - Terrakion was given a Hard Stone Ring worn his front right leg for a boost in his Rock Type attacks, Virizion was given a silver rope chain necklace around her neck holding a Miracle Seed for her Grass Type attack boost, Keldeo is now wearing a gold Singapore chain necklace around his own neck holding a Mystic Water pendant for an upgrade in his Water Type attacks, and Cobalion was graciously given a silver Metal Coat Ring affixed on his front right leg for his Steel Type attack upgrade.

In addition, they were all given four Muscle Bands (each of them custom made into bandanas) securely tied to their heads and Black Belts which they wore around their necks. They looked smart with their new garments and they looked more powerful and durable than ever as Legendary Pokemon of Unova.

With Zorua, she was given her own pair of Black Glasses for a cool dude style look (which she absolutely milked to her delight) but surprisingly, she was given an Everstone affixed with a braided leather chain necklace distinguished by a gold-plated clasp.

And, finally, Zeraora was given a Light Bracelet and a Black Belt for a boost to his own Fighting Type and Electric Type attacks including his Plasma Fists attack. He was also wearing a brand-new, custom cloak to replace his old one (which was in tatters and getting worn out after some time wearing it). It was a homemade gift to him from Sarah - all yellow with blue lightning bolts running down the cape, a single blue bolt at the center, and with Shadow's scales sewn inside to make it pitch black.

Everyone gasped in oohs and awes as they took in the six Pokemon as well as their new gifts and the looks they got from them. Said Pokemon even looked around at the thunderstruck crowd before them and Sarah's place she called home.

"Greetings, friends. I am Cobalion and these are my fellow Swords, Virizion, Terrakion, and Keldeo," introduced Cobalion, giving a polite nod and smile to everyone. "We are the Swords of Justice and by Princess Sarah's invitation, we're gratefully humbled to be here."

The group shook off their stupor and murmured in amazement and delight with bright smiles on their faces before Commander Shaw, Prof. Kukui, Burnet, Lusamine, and Prof. Magnolia came forward to greet them.

"Well, welcome to Sarah's Christmas party, Cobalion!" greeted Kukui warmly and humbly. "I'm Prof. Kukui and this is my wife, Prof. Burnet, Lillie's mother and head of the Aether Foundation and the Power Rangers Ultra Rescue, Lusamine, Commander Shaw from Coral Harbor's Grid Battleforce, and Prof. Magnolia - top researcher on the Dynamax Phenomenon from the Galar Region."

"We're all humbly honored with your presence today, our friends," nodded Magnolia, smiling warmly as well with a bow. "Everyone here has heard much about you and even had the honor of seeing you if Young Ash Ketchum can vouch for that himself, I might add."

"He-he-he, yeah, hi guys. It's been a while," nodded Ash as he turned to Keldeo. "Great to see you again, Keldeo."

"Yeah, it's been a while, Ash," smiled Keldeo, nodding to the Kanto trainer. "I'm glad to see you're doing okay after all this time."

"It's good to see you again, Ash. Even now, you're always loyal and hardworking to become a Pokemon Master," chuckled Cobalion.

"I am in agreement. It's nice to see you have such wonderful friends including Alola's princess on your journey," nodded Virizion warmly.

"Sounds like things haven't been boring for you and Pikachu ever since you left Unova, huh?" laughed Terrakion.

"Nah, I guess they haven't," chuckled Ash sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head modestly.

"Well, you've certainly made a name for yourselves if the legends about you are true," smiled Commander Shaw. "I'm impressed when we found out you were orchestral in saving the Galar Region from Chairman Rose and Eternatus."

"We're just glad we could help, Commander," Keldeo smiled back. "Truth be told, we were only able to make it in time when word got around about the first Dynamax incidents brewing about recently and we were worried that Sarah could be caught up in that mess."

While the Swords of Justice were speaking and the Beast Morphers Rangers went over to meet them, Jax, Steel, Smash, and Cruise took it upon themselves to greet Zeraora and Zorua.

"Wow, so you're Zeraora the Thunderclap Pokemon, right?" asked Cruise, still in awe.

"Yep, that's him! And, I'm Zorua, how's it going? He-he-he!" sniggered Zorua again as Zeraora nodded. "And, you're those famous Beast Bots belonging to those Beast Rangers the kid's telling us stories about while we were training."

"That's us, we're their best friends and we give them some help when they pilot their Zords against Evox and his Robotron trainwrecks," nodded Jax. "So, are you also the Tricky Fox Pokemon who can literally transform into anything and everyone?"

"Right! And, to demonstrate..." she sniggered, jumping into the air and transforming into Steel after she got a glimpse of him.

"WHOA!"

"HOO-HOO, WOW!"

"Oh, man! I think I blinked!" gasped the three original Beast Bots in shock and fascination.

"Wh-Hey! You're now me!" gawked Steel, flabbergasted and amazed from seeing who looked like his twin.

"He-he-he! Right down to a tee, apart from the tail, that is," nodded Zorua, sniggering again before she flipped and turned back to her old self, landing perfectly on Zeraora's head. "That's my trump card, I can disguise myself as other humans, Pokemon, and objects so nobody would even notice me!"

"Awesome! I want to try that out for next Halloween!" cried Steel gleefully before he noticed the Everstone around her neck. "But, why do you have an Everstone on you? Don't you want to evolve into a Zoroark?"

"That depends, the kid got it for me as one of my Christmas gifts and she thought it'd be best for me to choose when I want to evolve by my own devices. Even I can't help she's leaving stuff like evolution to us Pokemon with these sorts of things."

"Well, now that we're all acquainted with our newfound guests of honor, I believe it's time for us to end our Secret Santa with our presents for Sarah," Kukui announced much to everyone's intrigue and delight.

Faba was the first to bring in his gift to Sarah which was a custom-made case to hold the Z-Crystals and Pokemon Gems on her, allowing for the gems that are not part of the original set for her Sun Sword to be safely stored and be switched out when needed, if possible. The case was a pristine snowy white with gold insignias of Nebby and Nebula on the center with a button to open the case between them, the interior having up to 43 spaces for any Pokemon Gems and 28 spaces for her Z-Crystals.

The best part that Sarah found was that it can be easily fitted in her satchel for ease of access when needed and an added safety precaution in the form of a fingerprint reader to allow only her to open the case and no one else.

With Lusamine, she found her a book detailing different Pokemon Moves of all types so she can read and teach her Pokemon family whichever moves she finds suitable to allow them to better defend themselves and become more formidable in battle.

Burnet gave her a large box filled with different kinds of a massive total of 145 Pokeballs ranging from over ten regular Pokeballs, Great Balls, Ultra Balls, Luxury Balls, Love Balls, and Friend Balls, to Dive Balls, Net Balls, Dusk Balls, Heal Balls, Repeat Balls, Quick Balls, Heal Balls, and Premier Balls each, plus an additional five Cherish Balls.

With Wicke, she gave Sarah two Shiny Charms that would increase her chances of finding more Shiny Pokemon out in the wild, much to her family's humor. The princess was dismayed since she felt they would take out all the fun in finding Shiny Pokemon without such objects on her own and she was worried about making her friends and everybody else jealous over her supposed "good luck".

But, she brightened up when she discovered that having such objects on her left the princess and her family with their money worries out of the way and she ended up being grateful to Wicke and Burnet for that tippet, regardless. Thus, she soon clipped on the Shiny Charms to her Wayfinder on either side of the blue bolt Zeraora stitched into the middle, make her charm feel even luckier.

Prof. Kukui surprised her greatly with the addition of two Pokemon from his Kalos Colleague and one of Ash's other old friends, Prof. Sycamore, with two revived Pokemon from a Jaw Fossil and a Sail Fossil, Tyrunt - the Royal Heir Pokemon and Amaura - the Tundra Pokemon, much to Ash's bewilderment as he and Pikachu looked on them, goggle-eyed.

Soon, it was Ash and the Alolan gang's turn to give their gifts to her. Lillie, Lana, and Mallow presented her with a Shiny male Arcanine they've been hunting down for her since the holiday season started and even a female Alolan Ninetales wearing a silver Singapore chain necklace holding some Never Melting Ice. Ash, Sophocles, and Kiawe even went through the trouble of finding and giving her a collar holding a Charizardite X Mega Stone (which got a smirk and nod of approval from the evolved Flame Pokemon when he saw it).

Her adopted parents gave her a surprise in the form of two Pokemon babies which are two Shiny Litleo siblings, both of them hatched from two eggs they looked up from a Pokemon Nursery at Akala Island from Nikki and an electric/acoustic guitar from James with a white body and purple-shaded edges, a Nebby-like headstock and a golden-yellow neck.

The Litleo duo (both brother and sister) looked up in awe at their new human mother and sniffed her around before they finally sat before her and smiled brightly, nuzzling her gently by her ankles and accepting her as their parent figure.

"Wow, Mom, Dad... You didn't have to do this, really," she breathed, taking in the two new baby Pokemon and the new acoustic/electric guitar in her hands. "They're both so adorable and this guitar, I don't know..."

"You did have a keen interest in music ever since you helped Richard with his dance studio months ago so we thought it's time you have an instrument of your own to start with for your musical hobby. And, with those two Royal scamps around in the family, Lolita won't have to be the only one holding that title forever. I'm sure she'll want company in a similar vein as well so she wouldn't have to hold that burden alone anymore."

Lolita was surprised when she heard this and cautiously approached the Litleo siblings; she was initially worried and a little apprehensive over sharing her exalted title in the last Alolan Royal Family and it seemed ironic to have two "Royal" Pokemon when she's carried that moniker for years. But, as they soon felt her presence and cooed with bright smiles with their eyes closed in joy, she couldn't bring herself to ignore or scorn them and warmed up to them pretty quickly.

"Meow... Meow, Meowth, Meow, Meow, Meowth," smiled Lolita, thinking it won't be so bad to share her royal burden with them.

But, Tsukumaro had the most shocking gift to give to her inside a small handheld box wrapped in twilight-sky-inspired wrapping paper and topped off with an elegant gold ribbon overlapping the paper. It didn't seem like much but what it held was something that she didn't expect in the slightest.

Opening the box after tearing off the wrapping paper, she discovered and pulled out what looked like a silver Singapore chain necklace that held something similar to her Wayfinder from Zeraora.

But, unlike the seashell-made star, the silver star fixed to the chain was a little bigger and it had an orange crystal carved in the shape of the sun embedded in a larger crystal of a blue-purple full moon. It looked beautiful for what would seem like a piece of fancy jewelry for the last Alolan Royal Family but it was something much, much more.

"Wh-what is this?" she gasped, thunderstruck by what her godfather has for her.

"The Twilight Amulet, an amulet that is the third and final heirloom to your family. Your parents wanted you to have it when you were old enough, it was meant to be a birthday present when you're around 10-12 after getting your trainer's license until Lothor came and destroyed the monarchy all those years ago," explained the old advisor, taking the amulet out of its box and carefully fastening it around her neck underneath her Wayfinder.

The princess looked at it in awe as it shimmered a little, it was supposed to be a birthday gift for her from her real parents? "...What does it do?" she asked, stunned.

"While I was making it upon their request upon your impending birth, My Lord and Lady wanted me to place a spell on it that can only be activated by a child who's pure of heart and can use its powers wisely. They had you in mind upon its completion because you filled their lives with sunshine and were the result of their wish to have someone in their lives to share their happiness with. No being with a black heart can ever hope to unlock its true potential just as your parents' heirlooms had for you after you uncovered them."

"You think so?"

Tsukumaro nodded before he continued, "When I created it, I've had it bounded by a special rule that will determine whether it can be used for good or evil: 'For each deed performed for better or worse, a power is granted with a blessing or curse'."

Sarah raised a confused eyebrow from the rule, "What does that mean?"

"I believe you'll find out once you use it along the way. Trust me..."

"Wow, a third family heirloom?" gasped Lana in awe.

"And, that amulet was meant for you? That means the Sun Sword and Moon Shield must belong to your parents!" added Mallow in amazement.

"I'd count that third-time lucky since we have them in our possession and our enemies have none of them!" cheered Sophocles.

"I wouldn't call that luck, really," rebutted Sarah, not one to believe in luck on such a prospect. "If you recall, I found my family's sword in a cave, the Moon Shield ended up at the Slumbering Weald, and Tsukumaro had my amulet with him until now."

"Aw, come on, Sarah! You gotta admit you're the luckiest trainer in the world!" Ash retorted cheekily. "You got your real dad's sword, you have your real mom's shield, and now, you have an amulet! What's next, your family's going to have royal gizmos for your dragons?"

"I already have more than enough things to last my family and I for years, thank you!" she rebutted as everyone laughed. "But, I actually have one last gift to give to someone with us."

Everyone stopped as they gave a collective "Huh?" in surprise. "One last gift, after the ones you gave the Swords of Justice, Zeraora, and Zorua?" asked Gloria in surprise.

"But, you've already given your own gifts to all of us. What else do you have left?" pondered Lillie, confused.

"Yeah, mate, you've given a dozen presents for all of us!" nodded Victor.

"Who else would have something from you?" quizzed Hop.

"I believe someone outside needs some cheering up," replied the princess as she left to find Eternatus, who had slipped away while no one was looking and reentered the dome to brood on the beach.

"Oh, Eternatus!" she chirped to the annoyance of the Gigantic Pokemon as she approached.

"Grr... What is it, pipsqueak? I'm here, aren't I?" he moaned bitterly before she pulled out a wrapped present she hid from behind her back. "What's that garbage?"

Sarah smirked, "What's this garbage, you say? I made this 'garbage' inside the box just for you."

Unwrapping the box inside the wrapping paper, she then opened it to reveal what looked to be a stunning braided necklace decorated with seashells with a Poison Bard being hung in the middle by a glass pendant along with a Dragon Fang on the end of it. The Gigantic Pokemon was shocked when he noticed the necklace in his trainer's hands.

"Wh-what, what is this-?!" he spluttered, unable to come up with a coherent response as Umbreon, Danny, and Danielle arrived to help her put it on him. "Human, what have you-?"

"It's a necklace with a Poison Barb and a Dragon Fang, I made it after finding them and getting a discount on some yarn and string to braid them together with some seashells my friends and I found during our beach activities. Since you're both a Poison Type and a Dragon Type, the barb and the fang attached to it will help boost your Poison and Dragon attacks."

As she spoke, Danny, his sister, and Umbreon carefully lifted it up to Eternatus' neck using Psychic before they fastened it via a brass clip, the necklace being big and long enough to be held around his neck.

"Listen, I know you hate humans with a passion after what happened 3000 years ago. You were right; I personally really don't know how you felt when it came to humanity a clan of pariahs towards you for anything trivial even if Silvally knows how you felt but on a deeper level. You don't trust us and I respect that but still, what I did to capture use was the only way I was able to help you. Your old life, being sealed away, isn't want I want for you; I only wanted to help and giving you a new life here in Alola is what I'm doing. You may not think of my friends and I, even my family, highly given what we were forced to do but I had to take the first step in making sure you do have people to call friends and a real place to call home. Humans today aren't all bad, you just had a bad run-in with some of them. You deserve it to know that you still have a place with us no matter what you think."

Eternatus was speechless by the time she'd finished; the Gigantic Pokemon had no idea how to respond to that as his hatred for humanity clashed with a new feeling that was budding inside of him.

"Oh, well-um, it-w, you-uh... I, er..." he stammered, his mind reeling as Sarah smiled at him again.

"I know you'll feel better the longer you stay with me, Eternatus. You may think my mission as nothing but a lost cause but even so, I'll still do it no matter what," she declared firmly. "I made a promise to help you see the goodness of the world and that you won't have to be feared ever again and I'll make good on that..."

With that, Sarah returned to the house with her two Meowstic and Umbreon to enjoy the party once more. What she didn't know, however, is that after giving Eternatus his gift and reaffirming her promise to him, the Twilight Amulet glowed from her act of kindness towards the untrustworthy and hateful former Darkest Day.

Said Pokemon, on the other hand, didn't know what to think; nobody back then had ever shown him kindness but only fear and hatred for him before he was sealed away by Zacian and Zamazenta and the Two Kings. But now, Sarah, a lowly pipsqueak of the vile creatures called humans, had actually shown him true kindness and love by giving him, of all things, his very first Christmas gift. He could hardly understand it! She's not like any of the other humans he'd seen 3000 years prior and even her Pokemon and dragons didn't show him any kind of anger towards him, at all.

Instead, they sympathized with him, they understood him, they let him speak his mind out including how his pain and disdain for humanity made him the Darkest Day in the first place, they didn't scorn or fear him, they only fought just to quell his fury and end his suffering. What is it about them that made them so different from the other humans and Pokemon. Why didn't they run away in fear of or scorn him for being so menacing and different from everyone else?

---

Later that night, all of Melemele Island gathered for a special holiday show held by Richard and the Unova Movers to celebrate the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and to cap off another wonderful Christmas for everybody. Everyone flooded the streets of Hau'Oli City as they were ecstatic to see the show kick off with a special musical number from their music hosts. Amazingly, even a couple of islanders from Akala, Ula'Ula, and Poni Islands were able to attend the grand event including Kiawe's family and their Marowak.

Sarah (with her new guitar on hand) and her friends were joining them on stage and even Tsukumaro was coaxed into joining the team, feeling that performing and meeting the people at the event. In addition, Raine and her Primarina were invited to perform as honorary dancers alongside Lana, Mallow, Lillie, and their partners as well as a fangirling Aqua.

Surprisingly, Devon, Nate, Zoey, Ravi, and their Beast Bots also took the stage, wanting to take part in the musical festivities and Richard couldn't help but immediately accept their offer in his delight (since he and the Unova Movers also heard about how the Beast Morphers Rangers helped save the Galar Region).

"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys, girls, and Pokemon of all ages! Welcome to our holiday musical spectacular - Joy To The Pokemon!" began Richard to the excitement of the crowd as he stepped up. "And so, we've come to the end of another wonderful Christmas Day, a time when we come together to celebrate family, being happy with our loved ones and friends, finding joy and magic that brings us all together, and so much more!"

"Now, having done so much throughout this time and this year, despite our troubles plaguing us and anything that we wished wouldn't happen that would land us all in hot water whenever anything goes wrong, this is not the time for us to worry about the future. It is time for us to look forward to a brighter tomorrow and to celebrate our coming together as one happy family!"

The audience cheered and clapped again, agreeing with Richard's heartwarming speech wholeheartedly as he then continued with his words.

"There have been some bad times to come, yes. We end up putting ourselves in various situations that we wished we could get out of or take back, we've done some wrongs in our lives, there's no denying that. But, what helped us pull through these difficult times is our coming together, our friendship, our teamwork, our love for each other, our combined hope for a new tomorrow... We have friends that helped pull us out of our comfort zones and enclosed spaces of fear when we're at our worst, we have loved ones who tell us that we must do what we feel is right with their love by our side, We had to learn to trust each other even if the situation is hopeless! Because of that love and trust and our friendship, we were able to survive the hardships of today! And now, with all of us being together for his wonderful show, it fills my heart with immense joy that I can share this moment of happiness with my friends with me and the Unova Movers and all of you!"

Once again, Richard was met with thunderous cheers and applause coming from the crowd as he made his final words before beginning his group's song of choice to kick off the show.

"Together, we shall celebrate this beautiful and merry Christmas by sharing one of my and the Unova Movers' favorite songs with all of you. In honor of singer Josh Kelley, and with the assistance of Sarah Tomoe, her godfather, Tsukumaro, and all her friends including Raine and her Primarina as well as Devon, Ravi, Zoey, Nate, Steel, Jax, Smash, and Cruise, we'd like to perform for you all - Josh Kelley's Share This Day. Thank you," he finished with a bow before he took his place with his Pokemon.

The audience cheered again so far as, to Cruise's ringing of the bells in his hands, Steel on the Xylophone through Percussion, and Sarah's first strums of her new guitar, Share This Day (sung by famed singer Josh Kelley) was performed.

(Share This Day - ft. Josh Kelley (from Disney's Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas))

(Richard)

When I close my eyes all I do is think of you, and I wonder if you feel the same way too~

Will tonight be the night that everything will be just right? Beneath the wreaths of green, I see it in my dreams~

(Devon)

We're all finding our way through another holiday, wrapping hopes and dreams in angel's wings tonight~

(Ravi: Time to give and receive but the only gift I need is to share this day and every day with you~

As the group played on and the song continued, everyone clapped along, cheered, and danced as Raine, Primarina, Aqua, Lillie, Mallow, Snowy, Popplio, and Tsareena danced away in front of the band playing on the stage. Mayor Daniels and Commander Shaw even found time to dance together, even if it's just for the song and this moment only.

(Steel)

On my Christmas list, there's a wish I hope will come true~ That this holiday brings me one step closer to you~

(Zoey)

Let tonight be the night that every star's a diamond light~ The smile in your eyes is a beautiful surprise~

(Kiawe)

We're all finding our way through another holiday, wrapping hopes and dreams in angel's wings tonight~

(Tsukumaro)

Time to give and receive but the only gift I need is to share this day and every day with you~

Cruise: What do I see~

(Unova Movers, Ash, Sophocles, Galar Younglings, and Unova Starters: What do I see~?)

In the morning light~

(Smash)

My yuletide dream became reality~

(Sarah)

We're all finding our way, it's the greatest holiday! Catching hopes and dreams on angel's wings tonight~

You're my heart, you're my home! You're the hope I've always known when I share this day and every day with you~

(Danny, Danielle, Eevee Squad, Sylveon, Mai, Hashimoto, and Goodra: Joy To The World~)

We're all finding our way, it's the greatest holiday! Flying high up on my angel's wings tonight~

You're my heart, you're my home! You're the hope I've always known when I share this day and every day with you~

Sarah carried all the compassion, love, and energy she has for her friends and family and released it to the people of Alola and the world as she sang her heart out on the final verses of the songs. Having rehearsed for the song after getting the invite from Richard, she was able to pick up the ins and outs of playing with a guitar even if she was beginning to learn and she hasn't had much experience playing with it yet.

The words she sang with heart touched everyone's hearts as they cheered for her and danced to her voice as the chorus joined her to end Share This Day. When the performance finally ended after the song faded to the background before going silent, everyone couldn't hold back any longer. They jumped and went ecstatic as the audience gave a hearty cheer to Richard, the Unova Movers, Tsukumaro, Sarah, and all her friends as they took their bows and the show began.

Even the dragons and their families couldn't hold back their excitement as they roared and warbled with delight as they flew around in a happiness-stricken frenzy for their rider and her friends.

It was the best Christmas everyone ever had in the Alola region and they couldn't get enough of it. For Sarah, it was quite an eventful Christmas and the best she's ever had in her life despite the obvious absence of her real parents and her lingering need to find them buried within her heart. But, right now, she was the happiest she's ever been ever since meeting with Ash and all her friends. She would never, ever forget this day...

---

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, Accelarock

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, Aurora Beam

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. Lucario (Shiny)

Moves - Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Aura Sphere, Dig, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Claw, Focus Blast, Dragon Pulse, Bone Rush

26. Poipole

Moves - Venoshock, Fury Attack, Peck, Iron Tail

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

47. Calyrex

Moves - Psychic, Magical Leaf, Agility, Pound, Solarbeam

Calyrex (Ice Rider)

Moves - Psychic, Headbutt, Mist, High Horsepower, Icicle Crash, Double Kick, Glacial Lance

Calyrex (Shadow Rider)

Moves - Psychic, Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Agility, Phantom Force, Double Kick, Astral Barrage

48. Glastrier

Moves - Headbutt, Thrash, High Horsepower, Mist, Icicle Crash, Double Kick

49. Spectrier

Moves - Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Calm Mind, Agility, Phantom Force, Double Kick

50. Lunala (aka Nebula)

Moves - Teleport, Magic Coat, Moongeist Beam, Psychic, Phantom Force, Safeguard, Moonlight

51. Charmeleon

Moves - Ember, Fire Spin, Dragon Rush, Metal Claw, Flamethrower, Dragon Claw

52. Kubfu (aka Hashimoto)

Moves - Counter, Aerial Ace, Fire Punch, Thunderpunch, Ice Punch

53. Urshifu (Single Strike Style) (aka Ching Wan)

Moves - Brick Break, Revenge, Fire Punch, Thunderpunch, Ice Punch, Wicked Blow

54. Eternatus

Moves - Dragon Pulse, Dynamax Cannon, Recover, Enternabeam, Cross Poison

55. Arctozolt

Moves - Freeze-Dry, Discharge, Ancient Power, Bolt Beak, Charge, Hydro Pump

56. Raboot

Moves - Ember, Counter, Double Kick, Electro Ball, Acrobatics, Reversal

57. Cufant

Moves - Iron Head, Play Rough, High Horsepower, Superpower, Iron Defense, Rock Tomb

58. Dracovish

Moves - Hydro Pump, Dragon Pulse, Ice Fang, Dragon Rush, Earthquake, Fishious Rend

59. Dracozolt

Moves - Pluck, Dragon Tail, Bolt Beak, Discharge, Dragon Claw, Dragon Rush

60. Zarude

Moves - Jungle Healing, Close Combat, Darkest Lariat, Solar Blade, Vine Whip, Power Whip

61. Arcanine (Shiny)

Moves - Agility, Dragon Pulse, Iron Tail, Close Combat, Wild Charge, Psychic Fangs, Howl

62. Alolan Ninetales (aka Tundra)

Moves - Aurora Beam, Ice Beam, Aurora Veil, Dazzling Gleam, Blizzard, Confuse Ray

63. Tyrunt

Moves - Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Crunch, Rock Tomb, Draco Meteor, Dragon Tail

64. Amaura

Moves - Aurora Veil, Calm Mind, Mirror Coat, Ancient Power, Blizzard, Mud Shot

65. Litleo (aka Kion) (Shiny)

Moves - Tackle, Ember, Double Team, Noble Roar, Headbutt

66. Litleo (aka Kiara) (Shiny)

Moves - Tackle, Ember, Double Team, Fire Fang, Wild Charge

---

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)

20. Dart - Night Light (F)

21. Pouncer - Night Light (M)

22. Ruffrunner - Night Light (M)

23. Rosa - Titan Wing Dramillion (F)

24. Lilac - Terrible Terror (F)

25. Tidal- Tide Glider (F)

26. Hurricane - Windwalker (M)

27. Cantana - Death Song (F)

---

Sarah's Pokemon Gems (Original):

1. Cresselia

Moves - Psychic, Moonlight, Moonblast, Magic Coat, Psycho Cut, Protect

2. Giratina (Origin/Altered Form)

Moves - Shadow Force, Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere, Will-O-Wisp, Dragon Claw, Iron Tail

3. Rayquaza

Moves - Draco Meteor, Hyper Beam, Dragon Rush, Dragon Claw, Dragon Ascent, Twister

4. Zacian (Hero of Many Battles/Crowned Sword)

Moves - Iron Head/Behemoth Blade, Metal Claw, Sacred Sword, Wild Charge, Solar Blade, Swords Dance

5. Zamazenta (Hero of Many Battles/Crowned Shield)

Moves - Iron Head/Behemoth Bash, Metal Claw, Close Combat, Dazzling Gleam, Focus Blast, Iron Defense

---

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, Protectn