Monday morning had come but if you were visiting Melemele Island at this time before making your way to the Pokemon School, you'd be surprised to find that Kukui's entire class was not there. Instead, you would find Kukui's class high in the skies with Sarah's entire family and the princess herself flying on a jet plane known as the StormWing Patroller, the personal jet of the Dragonstone Patrol that, according to Aurora, was built years ago so Dragonstone's own PAW Patrol can swiftly answer emergency calls across the Lost Continent and the Distant Kingdoms.

The StormWing Patroller was similar to Ryder and the PAW Patrol's Air Patroller but its color scheme matched that of Stormcloud's (the main body being dark blue with white portions on the front and wheel wells, the side prominently displaying the Dragonstone Patrol's logo while a smaller logo appeared on the front, and the jet head being shaped like her head). With the addition of the Undetectable Extension Charm, Sarah's entire family could ride on it.

The reason was that Spring Break had arrived and Sarah, her family, and all her friends are returning to the Galar Region for a vacation.

Shortly after Lana, Sarah, Race, Tsukumaro, and their party's encounter with Kyogre and Lugia, Burnet had planned a week-long trip for everybody to Galar on Saturday, the gang spending the weekend packing before leaving the following Monday on the Dragonstone Patrol's StormWing Patroller (with permission from the Dragonstone Patrol, of course).

Doug and Delilah were curious about the Galar Region and along the way, Sarah and her friends excitedly told them, David, and Donna (former queen) story after story about their previous adventures in Galar including meeting up with Zacian and Zamazenta, the Postwick Trio and Hop's brother: Leon, the original Galar Champion, the Crown Tundra, the Isle of Armor, and the events that led up to Chairman Rose's first downfall as well as Eternatus officially becoming a part of their family.

The Dragonstone Patrol was also enthralled by the stories being told about the gang's Galar escapades and even the Cat Pack was left on the edge of their seats as they were told the stories. Even the two robotic dog pilots responsible for piloting the ship couldn't help but feel fascinated by the stories that were being shared.

The robotic dogs (being one of Aurora's numerous inventions) looked to be brothers while being adult versions of Ryder's robotic pup, Robo-Dog:

- Robo-Dog MK-1 Standard had a similar appearance to Robo-Dog with orange patches on his legs and blue paws but he had no wheels.

- Robo-Dog MK-2 Driver, on the other hand, had red forward-facing ears, a blue stripe running behind his face screen with electric teal eyes showing on his visor, and a black nose. He even wore a red collar sporting a silver Pup Tag but his silver body instead had aquamarine shading halfway down his legs

As they eventually returned to the Galar Region, Race, Nikki, James, Doug, Delilah, David, Donna (former queen), the Tomoe Squad, the baby Jungle Pokemon, the entire Jungle Guard, the Cyber Pokemon, Nico, Saba, Azul, Azula, Enya, Apollo, the Dragonstone Patrol, Liberty, and the Cat Pack were enthralled by the British-inspired landscapes, towns, and cities of the region they were passing by including the Wild Areas, the Crown Tundra, Hammerlocke, Wyndon, Stow-on-Side, and Ballonlea.

Eventually, they arrived back at the small humble town of Postwick, the hometown of Leon, Hop, Gloria, Victor, Sonia, and Professor Magnolia with the dragons including Caraxes, Vermax, Meleys, Dreamfyre, and Seasmoke making themselves known. Given that they were revealed during the entire Dynamax and Darkest Day incidents and had been involved with stopping them whenever they came about, the people of Galar are more welcoming and warmly receptive of them so they didn't have any problems with them coming to see the region with their family and friends.

Phoenix, Pyre, Wildfire, Reignstorm, Crescent, Whiplash, Skylar, Flystorm, Pearl, Amethyst, Diamond, Rosethorn, Eclipse, Nova, Sunset, Starlight, Eclipse, Cansu, Asra, Mirage, Flo, Puff, Big Puff, Spike, Appa, Charger, Thunder, Feathers, and Wu and Wei were greatly in awe of Galar's true beauty as they took in the sights and sounds the region had to offer. Compared to back then with the original nine dragons that once came with Sarah's friends and family to Galar, as they were forced to hide from the public eye for their own safety and their duel with Eternatus had made headlines for weeks soon after, all of them and the original nine were able to roam around freely as they were given a warm reception. The original nine dragons were also declared heroes for their bravery in subduing Eternatus after his resurrection so none of them, not even the other dragons, felt uncomfortable with being out in the open.

"Alright! We're back in the Galar Region!"

"WHOO-HOO!" Ash and Pikachu screamed excitedly as they disembarked the Dragonstone Patroller with their stuff after it landed on a nearby vast mass of flatland on the edge of Postwick.

"And, no world-ending emergencies to ruin our vacation this time," smiled Sophocles as he exited the jet as well.

"I can hardly wait!" Kiawe agreed, following soon after.

"You know it!"

"This is gonna be great!" Togedemaru and Vikavolt agreed ecstatically.

"YEAH!" Pyroar and Turtonator cheered together as they disembarked and the girls and their partners followed.

"I wonder how Leon and the others have been doing since our final run-in with Chairman Rose and when they took part in the Champion's Cup before all that," Mallow thought curiously.

"Maybe Gloria, Hop, or Victor finally beat Leon and either of them became the Galar Champion while we were home!" theorized Lillie, smiling as everybody made their way to Prof. Magnolia's lab.

"It'll be awesome!" Lana nodded, also unable to contain her excitement.

"So, this is the humble town of Postwick," Doug remarked as he and Delilah looked around when they, Sarah, and their family along with Burnet and Kukui existed the Dragonstone Patroller and went into Postwick before going towards Wedgehurst with Sarah leading the way.

"This place isn't bad, nice and cozy and away from prying eyes and from city life for those who wouldn't want the hustle and bustle," Delilah agreed, taking in the simple countryside sights of Postwick while everybody crossed over to Wedgehurst before they went to Magnolia's lab.

"It'll be nice to meet Prof. Magnolia and her granddaughter again, Sir Kukui, Ms. Burnet," Tsukumaro remarked to the married professors. "I do hope their research has gone well with the public, especially with everything pertaining to Zacian and Zamazenta and their history with the Two Kings."

"I'm sure they're doing just fine and the public's continuing to get used to the truth being told thanks to your and everyone else's discoveries and your efforts to save Galar and the world last year, Tsukumaro," Burnet chuckled.

"Of course, we've been getting letters and messages from them regarding their progress and they've been able to ease everyone into the truth regarding their region's Heroes of Many Battles. And, with Eternatus having been gone for more than a whole year, hopefully, they'll be at ease since he's under Sarah's finger," Kukui smiled in agreement with a knowing chuckle of his own before he turned to the Dragonstone Patroller's pilots. "Put the Patroller on standby, boys! We'll be needing you again at the end of the week, thanks for the ride!"

Robo-Dog MK-2 Driver and MK-1 Standard barked in response as they waved goodbye and watched as their party disappeared into Postwick and Wedgehurst to meet up with their old friends at Magnolia's lab.

It wasn't long before the entire group arrived at Magnolia's laboratory and met up with their welcome party waiting for them out at the front (while also getting a hero's welcome from the citizens of both Postwick and Wedgehurst along the way). Prof. Magnolia, Leon and his Charizard, Gloria and her Inteleon, Victor and his Cinderace, Hop and his Rillaboom, and Sophia and her Yamper all smiled brightly as they caught sight of their expected party staying for a spell on vacation.

"Well, look who dropped in along with the wind on a jumbo jet: Sarah and company!" Leon laughed heartily as he and Magnolia first greeted Burnet and Kukui as they rushed over to see them.

"Leon! How wonderful to see you again!" Burnet smiled as she and Leon shared a hug.

"It has been over a year since you first arrived here with your class, Kukui," Magnolia greeted warmly as she and Kuki shook hands.

"It sure has been, Magnolia. Why, even at your age, you still look as beautiful more so than a Vileplume using Petal Dance," Kukui remarked with a warm smile before he looked at the rest of his and Burnet's party. "And, I don't think we're the only ones happy to see you two again as you aren't with us."

"Sarah, Ash, Mallow, Kiawe, Lana, Lillie, Sophocles! What's up, gang?" Hop greeted happily as he and Sarah shared a high-five as Rillaboom gave a happy "Rilla!" as well to the group.

"Good to see you guys again, Hop," Sarah smiled back.

"Ash, Kiawe, Sophocles! What a pleasant surprise to see you here again, mates!" Victor grinned while Cinderace greeted them with a smirk and a "Cinder, Cind!", too.

"Great seeing you again, too, Victor!" Sophocles grinned.

"You and Cinderace look awesome!" Ash put in.

"Lana, Lillie, Mallow, it's so good to see you!" Gloria cheered, giving her three Alola friends a hug while Inteleon gave a cool nod and smile.

"We're happy to see you, too, Gloria!" Mallow replied as Lana and Lillie nodded in agreement. "How was the Champion Cup last year?"

"Did you guys find out who won amongst you?" Lana asked eagerly.

"Who won against Leon and his team including Charizard after the demonstration match with Sarah last year? We're sorry we had to leave once the demo match was over but what happened then?" Lillie quizzed, getting Hop and Victor's attention as they joined the girls before they and Gloria explained everything until one of them made it to Leon and their match with him in the Champion Cup.

"We've all fought hard against each other when we had our turns but in the end..." Victor smiled before he and Hop looked at each other awkwardly as they rubbed the back of their heads and hissed in embarrassment (their partners shared their reactions as they didn't know how to put their last Champion Cup battles but Inteleon just smirked at them coolly with closed eye and crossed arms).

"We did our best but I was beaten by Victor when we battled. But, when it came to Gloria, between them..." Hop trailed off as Gloria gave a knowing smirk and she proudly told everyone, "I won. Took them down along with Leon, easily, even if Leon tried to pull a fast one on me many times during my Champion's match with him."

The Alola gang, Ash, and Sarah gasped in amazement as they tried to picture how the final matches went down before their match with Leon. Then, they eventually laughed as if they had a feeling or knew that one of them would come out on top and put the other two to shame with his/her victory and as if Gloria was the one to beat her best friends from the start. Even Victor and Hop couldn't help but join in given how much fun they all had during the Champion Cup and the after-party soon after to celebrate Gloria's victory against them and Leon.

"I'd guess as much!"

"That was great, Gloria!"

"Congratulations, Gloria!"

"Did you two and your Pokemon lose to Gloria and her team, really?"

"That must've been embarrassing!"

"Awesome!"

"I wish we could've stayed to see it!" The gang, Ash, and Sarah laughed.

Victor, Hop, and their partners just groaned in embarrassment as they tried to hide their blushes while Gloria and Inteleon just gave sly and smug smirks at their best friends with Leon, the professors, and Sonia along with Charizard and Yamper joining them and managing to hear what the kids are saying.

"It's true, even I'm surprised by how passionate Gloria and her team were battling against us throughout our match. Even after it came down to Charizard and Inteleon, those two pulled a fast one on us and we didn't see it coming until we got our butts whooped," Leon chuckled with a knowing smile.

"It was quite the victory celebration when Gloria is declared the winner and the new Galar Champion," Sonia smiled. "All of Postwick went nuts when they saw her win it all along with her Pokemon and they felt like they were going to have bragging rights for months."

"Hey, Sonia," greeted Mallow as Doug, Delilah, Donna (former queen), and David came forward and the Galar group took notice of them.

"And, you all must be Sarah's real family, the original Last Royal Famly of Alola, correct?" Magnolia smiled warmly as she gave a small bow along with the Postwick Trio, Leon, and Sonia. "It is an honor to finally meet you, word got around about the end of Team Eclipse as well as your return and we couldn't be happier for your daughter and granddaughter."

"It sure is an honor, Your Majesties. My name's Sonia and I'm her granddaughter," Sonia greeted happily as she then introduced her own friends to the quartet. "This here's Leon, our original Galar Champion, Victor, Hop, and our newest champion, Gloria."

Leon then looked at Race and smirked while saying, "And, this must be, Sarah, your boyfriend and the Hoenn Battle Frontier Champion of Littleroot Town, Race Konami."

Race and Sarah blinked and they both blushed heavily as they looked at each other before the former awkwardly said, "...Let me guess, Kukui and Burnet or somebody else mailed you guys about that, too?"

"Oh, come on, you lovebirds. You don't expect one of us to help keep your relationship in the dark for too long, right?" Liberty smirked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't you start, Liberty or I'm putting you on a short leash until you're an adult..." Sarah warned as she threw a stink eye at her pet dog.

"Aww, and who's this? She's such a sweetie!" Sonia gushed, immediately coming over to Liberty and giving her a rub.

"This is Liberty, she's my dachshund from Adventure City during my team's escapades with the PAW Patrol," Sarah replied.

"That's me, PAW Patrol pup, Liberty - one and only. How's it going?," Liberty greeted as she was then greeted by Sonia's Yamper along with her Growlithe and Rockruff (who had also been brought out to meet with the PAW Patrol pup).

"Oh, wow! Are these pups also the famous Dragonstone Patrol we've heard about that joined you?" Hop added, he, Victor, and Gloria coming forward to meet the pups that made up the Dragonstone Patrol.

"Yes, Sir. At your service, Hop, Gloria," Aurora nodded with a bow as her teammates followed.

"We've heard about you from Prof. Burnet and Prof. Kukui's letters to Sonia and Prof. Magnolia, nice to meet you," Gloria cooed as she petted Barley and Cam.

"Friends, you all flatter us as well as our daughter and her friends as well as our entire family," Doug admitted with a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yes, of course," Delilah added, clearing her throat as she tried to gather herself. "I must say, your region is a marvel when we arrived. I can hardly believe that there is a region that is vast, mysterious, and beautiful in the west just as our native Alola was."

Then, Prof. Magnolia came to Sarah as the princess greeted her, "Professor."

Magnolia smiled back with a nod before she then replied, "I'm glad to see that you're reunited with your loved ones, Sarah. But, one thing still troubles me; has Eternatus been behaving himself ever since you've taken him in after last time?"

Sarah nodded as she took out the Master Ball containing Eternatus and said to Magnolia as she presented it, "He's relatively tame now; still rough around the edges but he's been good after a while. Took a little arm-twisting just to have him come along before we left for this week, understandably."

Prof. Magnolia nodded in reply but still voiced her concerns, "I'm relieved to hear that but even so, I fear that there will be some people in Galar that have not yet warmed up to the truth about Eternatus' previous intentions before the events of the Darkest Day back then and last year. Most, however, did manage to come to terms with his wishes and respect them even if it'll still take some time for them to become accustomed to the truth. We've been trying to research countermeasures should our worst fears come to pass but it seems as though his time away from Galar was the best thing to have happened to him if he's as calm as he is under your care."

The Master Ball shook as Eternatus said from within it, "Yeah, yeah, granny... Look, don't get your hopes up, my pipsqueak is the only one I answer to and nobody else is going to change that, got it?"

The intros and greetings continued on (with Dracovish greeting his old friends with his traditional head chomp on them (sans the likes of Sonia and Magnolia thanks to their Rockruff, Ninetales, Growlithe, and Yamper)) much to everyone else's amusement.

Sarah even introduced the Galar party to all of her exotic Pokemon which drew in their amazement given that they'd never seen the likes of them before; Naguara and the baby Jungle Pokemon had already hit it off with Gloria and her team and Hop and his crew was intrigued to see Wang Lun being a third custom-made Urshifu inspired by the Rapid and Single Strike Styles put together (Tai Chi, once he had been told of his origins) and Tai Lung while Victor and his Pokemon clicked with Polar, Orpheus, Torch, and Freya.

Even Magnolia, Sonia, Leon, and all their own Pokemon couldn't help but be enthralled by the sight of Sarah's new Pokemon *including Sho and Arrietty) along with the new dragon additions to her family and they couldn't believe their eyes when they saw Doug and Delilah's own team with the group. With the introductions done and dusted and after the heroes had gotten themselves settled in Postwick and at Hop and Leon's home (which the two are only happy to accommodate them with despite some of the Pokemon and dragons having to stay outside due to their size and such), they started to relax and wind down after their arrival while Doug and Delilah and their Pokemon were given a crash-course tour of both Wedgehurst and Postwick.

"This trip is going to be the best yet and maybe more relaxing than last time," Lillie smiled after the students gathered in Hop and Leon's game room and they and their Pokemon began to play some games (with Sarah's younger and baby Pokemon along with Wang Lun, Ching Wan, Hashimoto, Amber, and Kaji among them joining in).

"Let's just hope we don't have to deal with Dynamaxing Pokemon again and that Rose will stay locked up now that we've caught him," Kiawe prayed.

"Yeah, I think we had enough creeps like him and Oleana going aggro on Galar and us since our run-in with them in Alola," Mallow agreed.

"Hey, Sarah, what are you going to do while we check out the region again?" Ash questioned Sarah who was playing Bean Bag Toss with her baby Jungle Pokemon, Cufant, Scorch, Yamper, Wooloo, and Ponyta with Rapidash and Virizion keeping an eye on the little ones and Audino and Snivy keeping score.

"I'm going back to the Isle of Armor, I promised Mustard that I'd help Hashimoto finish his training. And, now that he's grown and has been training to his fullest for over a year now, I'd say we're ready to tackle the Tower of Waters now," Sarah replied. "In fact, I'm gonna be taking my family along since Kaji will want to see everyone there again."

Sarah then turned to Hashimoto who was playing with Ching Wan, Tyson, and Brawleon on one of two Nintendo Switches Hop and Leon each own via a beat-em-up round from Super Smash Bros Ultimate with some of their family watching (even gaining Wang Lun's interest as he watched his pre-evolved from and his evolved brother playing against the Infernape and one of Guardeon's sons).

"Hey, Hashimoto! You, Kaji, and Ching Wan feel like dropping by the Isle of Armor tomorrow to complete your training?" the princess asked her pre-evolved Wushu Pokemon.

"Yeah! I'm totally ready; if Shi-Fu wants to see how far I've come since last year, he and the others are gonna flip!" smirked Hashimoto as he and Ching Wan battle against Brawleon and Tyson in a Super Smash Bros 2-man team round.

"I'm sure Kaji and Ching Wan also missed everybody there along with him, Island Girl. You best keep your promise to bring them home and see how Mustard and his students along with his family are getting on before you have him complete his Kung Fu training," Race noted.

"I won't forget," Sarah nodded before she turned to the others and the Postwick Trio. "What are you guys gonna do in the meantime?"

"Well, I was thinking we could return to Zacian and Zamazenta's shrine and pay our respects to them tomorrow morning," Gloria answered. "They've done so much for us back then and during our fight with Eternatus and stopping Rose from realizing his horrible so we've paid our respects to them whenever we can after we finished the Champion's Cup."

Hop and Victor nodded in agreement as they also turned to Ash and the gang before the former offered, "So, what do you guys think? Want to see how Zacian and Zamazenta are getting on in their resting place at the Spring of Slumber?"

"Yeah!" Ash and the group smiled.

"You guys have fun with them, Hashimoto and I got a busy morning tomorrow given the final stages of his training," Sarah said as she and her family then prepared to leave for the Isle of Armor.

"While you do that, I'm gonna join Sarah and her family to see what an Urshifu is like when it learns the Rapid Strike Style and how it varies from Ching Wan's Single Strike Style," Rotom-Dex buzzed, flying over to Sarah and her family.

"Good luck, you guys," smiled Lana encouragingly.

"Have fun at the Isle of Armor!" Mallow added, smiling.

"Give our regards to Mustard and the other students there including Klara!" Hop finished as Sarah and her family along with Rotom-Dex head out as they said goodbye to the others.

Later, with her Armor Pass at hand, Sarah and her family were on their way back to the Isle of Armor. Since Doug and Delilah along with Donna (former queen) and David were still trying to take in the sights and sounds that Galar had to offer, they were getting sensory overload along with their Pokemon and the new additions to their family. It wasn't long before they reached the Isle of Armor and then made their way to the Master Dojo where they stood in front of the giant building that was once Hashimoto, Kaji, and Ching Wan's school and home, memories of their time with Mustard, his family, and his students coming back to them as they sighed with contemplation and remembrance.

Before arriving at the Master Dojo, the little princess made sure that she was back in her Master Dojo uniform and that she had brought out her Dynamax Band with her family, Rotom-Dex, and Race and his team tagging along, the latter group, Rotom-Dex, and the new additions eager to see what the Master Dojo and its inhabitants were like along with the rest of the Isle of Armor (all of them, even the Swords of Justice, being rather surprised to see some Unova Pokemon living on the island as well including some Bouffalant).

The three of them and Sarah stood together in front of their family as they all exchanged knowing nods and then Hashimoto, unable to contain his excitement, immediately rushed forward and opened the doors while shouting, "...SHI-FU, WE'RE HOME!"

"...HEY, THEY'RE BACK!" screamed an equally excited group of Master Dojo students as they piled into the main training hall along with their own Pokemon including Bulbasaur and Squirtle with ecstatic yells and cheers.

Mustard and his family also joined in on the welcome party as the students happily greeted, "WELCOME BACK, SARAH, HASHIMOTO, KAJI, CHING WAN!"

"Sarah, how wonderful to see you and your family along with Ching Wan, Kaji, and Hashimoto! It's so nice to see you again," Honey chirped happily.

"My, my, Sarah... You're back again after a year, welcome back to the Master Dojo; hmm, I don't need to tell you that during your time away from Galar, your Kung Fu progress and those of Kaji and the Kubfu Brothers are all really remarkable," Mustard nodded with an approving and proud smile. "Although, I'm assuming you're all not here for just a social visit given how excited Hashimoto is becoming right now. What brings you all back here?"

"Well, aside from wanting to show some new members of my family your home and the rest of the Isle of Armor including my real parents, I've come to have Hashimoto complete his training at the Tower of Waters," the little princess replied. "I'm sure he's better, faster, stronger, more alert, and more flexible than he ever has been throughout all of last year."

"Yeah, what she said! Shi-Fu, I'm ready to face the Tower of Waters in order to complete my training as a true Wushu Pokemon and the Secret Armor," Hashimoto agreed eagerly, wanting to prove himself at the Tower of Waters.

Mustard was surprised by this but he laughed heartily before he gave a knowing smile and a cheekily raised eyebrow at the pair, knowing what they wanted. "Oh, ho-ho-ho! I see, it's finally time for you to prove yourself, huh, Hashimoto? Well, mind yourselves as you take on the tower tomorrow; my Pokemon trained diligently for the final stages of your training, and believe me, things back then with Ching Wan will be far different with you."

He then turned to who a group from his right comprised of his top students that specialize in the Rapid Strike Style from the Tower of Waters as they stood at attention with knowing smiles thrown at the pair and he smirked knowingly, "And, knowing what kind of training you've been putting yourself through, my team and I are not the only ones who've trained hard for the big moment so I hope you've brushed up on everything you've learned and unlearned for this challenge."

"We have, Shi-Fu!" nodded Hashimoto as he and Sarah bowed to their master.

Mustard just nodded proudly, "Right, I'll be waiting for you at the top and we'll see how far you've come. But, I suppose you must be famished after your long trip back to Galar, eh, Sarah? Your teacher and his wife did mention you, your family, and your friends arrived in Postwick late in the afternoon for your vacation this Spring Break and so you're just in time for dinner since we're just about to wrap up training for the day in an hour and a half. Plus, you can tell us everything that happened after you left Galar for Alola when you ended the Darkest Day incident."

Sarah and her family could only agree; once night had fallen and after taking quick moments to catch up on everything that's been going on between them and the princess' fellow students (including Klara's training to become a true gym leader and the incredible progress she had been making after she graduated (once she had fulfilled her previous punishment) and had returned to her hometown to prepare for her future duties, the reason as to why she was not among the students still in the Master Dojo), everybody was having dinner. Throughout the night until they were finished and they had to go to bed, everybody had fun and enjoyed themselves with all the stories they told, the jokes they made, the moments they shared, making the most of what time they had on them before Hashimoto would proceed to enter the Tower of Waters and finally complete his training.

The next morning, everybody on the heroes' side was carrying out their plans for the day; while Gloria, Hop, and Victor took her friends to Zacian and Zamazenta's resting place at the heart of the Slumbering Weald to pay their respects and her family, Race, and Rotom-Dex were exploring the Isle of Armor, Sarah and Hashimoto were on their way to the Tower of Waters to complete the pre-evolved Wushu Pokemon's training and help him master the Rapid Strike Style. Ching Wan and Wang Lun were tagging along to offer the duo, mostly Hashimoto, moral support for the task at hand.

When they arrived at the Tower of Waters, they found it to be identical to the Tower of Darkness Ching Wan went through to master the Single Strike Style but with a few obvious yet also subtle differences. Instead of being situated on Challenge Road on the north-eastern end as its counterpart was, it was sitting along a stretch of sandy land on the western end of the island's mid-section and it was denoted from its water-based banners and the blue log roofs for each floor leading to the top floor.

"So, this is the Tower of Waters you're supposed to enter to complete your training, Little Hashimoto," Wang Lun mused thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as he took in the sight of the tower.

"Yep, this is one of the towers where Anii-Chan and I can enter and master the Rapid or Single Strike Styles so we can evolve into Urshifu after mastering one style and beating Shi-Fu at the top," Hashimoto nodded determinedly. "Anii-Chan already completed his test last year when he evolved into a Single Strike Urshifu and now, I'm gonna do the same with this tower."

"Don't get cocky, Hashi. Besides, Master and Big Brother along with their students and their partners had been training hard last year as well," Ching Wan warned. "They knew you'd eventually come back when you told Master you'd get stronger first before taking him and the others on once you enter so they won't be easy to take on once you're inside."

"Don't sweat it, Anii-Chan, I'm ready! Besides, I knew I'd come home to complete my training at the Tower of Waters eventually. I've been training for months ever since we were accepted into our new family from our old one and now, with all the experience I've gained and everything I've learned since then, I'll take on Shi-Fu and his students there easily," Hashimoto reassured.

"Then, I guess it's up to you, then. I can't stop you no matter what happens," Ching Wan relented as they finally reached the Tower of Waters. "Just make sure you keep an open mind about our old friends and Master should they show how much they've improved over the last year."

"Are you sure you don't want us by your side to help you, Young Hashimoto?" Wang Lung questioned.

"Thanks, Wang Lun, but as with Anii-Chan last year, this is something I have to do alone. This and the Tower of Darkness were built with us Kubfu in mind and this is a test I have to pass myself and I don't want you and Anii-Chan getting into trouble if you were to come with Sarah and me."

Wang Lun nodded as he and Ching Wan stood before the Tower of Waters to wait for Hashimoto and Sarah while they approached the warden guarding the tower and gained permission to enter, ready to begin Hashimoto's final test. Upon entering the tower and the first floor, they noticed one of Mustard's top students (whose name is Raindrop) that specialize in the Rapid Strike Style waiting for them with a Psyduck primed and ready for battle as it gave a determined glare.

"Welcome, Sarah, Hashimoto, to the Tower of Waters," Raindrop greeted as she turned to them and stood alongside her Psyduck.

"Here, we learn the Rapid Strike Style through the swift accuracy, explosiveness, and timing of the Seven Star Mantis and the expert balance of the Crane. Rain in our world falls to become our rivers and they eventually flow into our wonderful ocean... Such is the great cycle of water for it'll swallow you whole if you don't learn to tame it!"

Following that proclamation, Raindrop and her Psyduck began the first round with Sarah and Hashimoto. Of course, Hashimoto realized that his old friends guarding the tower and the secret to becoming the Rapid Strike Style Urshifu had indeed trained hard while he and his brother were gone for with great patience, balance, power, timing, and accuracy, Psyduck managed to strike back and bait the younger Kubfu whenever it can just as he did. Despite the odds stacked against the pair early on, Hashimoto and Sarah managed to overcome Raindrop and her Psyduck and move on to the other three floors that included three more students fighting with a stronger and well-primed Krabby, Marril, and Polywhirl.

The younger Kubfu was surprised and baffled to find that the other students' aforementioned Pokemon following Raindrop's Psyduck were no slouches either as they demonstrated the fluidity, flexibility, dexterity, balance, accuracy, timing, and explosive power demanded of a fighter practicing the Rapid Strike Style. Regardless, he kept an open mind and with Sarah's help, managed to beat them with everything he's learned throughout his and Ching Wan's time with their Alola family in addition to his own training a year prior and come out on top each time despite getting some bruises and heavy or minor wounds along the way.

Before long, only Mustard was left as they reached the top floor where the secret to the Rapid Strike Style awaited them. As before with her and Ching Wan at the Tower of Darkness, the Dojo Master was impressed with how far the two of them had come.

"Children, I'm pleased you've made it even though Raindrop and her fellow pupils gave you a run for your money," Mustard began sagely. "You both have learned well during your time away so as with Ching Wan, I'll be your final opponent. For a stream that's too clear for fish Pokemon, there's always darkness we find in ourselves. So, let me be the one to teach you the final lesson about the true essence of water!"

Discarding his hat and jacket, Mustard donned his Dojo Master uniform and brought out another senior Kubfu brother on him which surprised the younger Kubfu but he steeled himself for what was his final match in the Tower of Waters before he would finally claim its secret.

"Hashimoto, I don't think it's your second teacher but rather another one who's close to you and Ching Wan he'll be fighting alongside for this one," Sarah remarked.

"You're right, that's our second brother after our first that battled against Anii-Chan last year; he's more proficient in the Single Strike Style so he's a master of the Tiger and Leopard Styles just as our first brother is a master of the Seven Star Mantis and White Crane Styles," Kubfu nodded, getting into a battle stance as he faced the older Kubfu before him. "But, with everything that happened to me, I'm ready for him."

"Let's begin, Sarah, Hashimoto! Kubfu, start off with Aerial Ace!" Mustard began, taking the first move.

"Use Counter to cut him off!" Sarah shouted, allowing Hashimoto to counter Aerial Ace with Counter although the older Kubfu smirked as he surged forward just as they collided and he punched the younger Kubfu back a few feet after he punched him in the gut (but managed to hold his ground as he skidded to a stop).

"Oh, man!" Hashimoto gasped in bewilderment as he held his chest and looked at Kubfu in shock.

The older Kubfu then charged again while his fists cracked electricity, signaling to him and Sarah that he was now attacking with consecutive Thunder Punch attacks as he was forced to block or dodge each blow being thrown at him. It was at that point that with all the training he and Mustard had throughout the past year, his second older brother was showing no mercy as he demonstrated his fighting prowess to the pair.

"Hang in there, Hashimoto! Use Iron Headbutt to stop his charge!" Sarah shouted, allowing him to combine Iron Head and Headbutt to ram Kubfu on his own gut and send him flying back.

Mustard hummed impressively as he nodded, "Very good, Sarah, Hashimoto. It seems you've grown stronger and you've been learning to be as unpredictable as can be when your backs are against the walls. But, the element of surprise will not last long if you don't strike while the iron is hot. Kubfu, use Close Combat!"

"You use Close Combat, too, Hashimoto!"

The two Kubfu then proceeded to use Close Combat on each other as they showed off their own unique Kung Fu fighting styles with Kubfu showing off the power, agility, pouncing, and unmatched ferocity of the tiger and leopard while Hashimoto demonstrated the masterful balance, explosive timing and sheer accuracy of the mantis and the crane (calling back to his and his brother's training with Tsukumaro and their family). In this classic Isle of Armor match-up of water and darkness, neither seemed to be giving quarter nor gaining any advantage over one or the other as far as they and their human partners can tell; it seems as though those two were locked in a stalemate before they forced each other back for one final clash.

"You and your brother don't know when to give up, do you?" Kubfu snarked via Telepathy.

"I could say the same about you, Shi-Shou!" Hashimoto snapped back.

"Go, Kubfu/Hashimoto, Focus Punch/Counter!" Mustard and Sarah bellowed, initiating their final orders they ended up in a deadlock to see who would crack first under either Counter or Focus Punch.

Eventually, after much struggling and wondering who would come out on top as he started to finally push back against his older brother, Hashimoto forced his way through and broke Kubfu's Focus Punch. After that, once he saw his chance, he unleashed Close Combat before he could get an attack in, and with a final Tornado Kick to the face, Hashimoto eventually triumphed over Kubfu as he was knocked out and then returned to Mustard's side on his back. The Dojo Master watched in disbelief as Sarah had beaten him again but this time, with Hashimoto.

Then, once he got himself together again and saw the results that came from Hashimoto's time away training with his family before coming back, laughing heartily as he couldn't help but feel proud of both him and Sarah just as he did when she and Ching Wan arrived on the top floor of the Tower of Darkness and defeated him.

"Look at you, you younguns grow up so fast in such a short amount of time. And, your progress as you get older never ceased to amaze even me! Impressive, most impressive!" he noted as he returned Kubfu with a proud smile as Hashimoto and Sarah stood at attention for him after sharing a happy back-fist bump. "Hashimoto, I'm very proud of you for having come so far with Sarah; I knew I could place my trust in her with you and your brother's well-being."

Mustard gave a knowing yet humorous smile and sighed as he then said, "As I'm sure you already know, Leon once accepted these trials as my student a long time ago but he couldn't find his way to either tower and ended up getting lost along the way! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! But, enough about that; You've done well to use the Mantis and White Crane Styles while you fought your elder brother but you were able to plow through regardless and come out on top. Now, my boy, it's time for you to finally evolve into a Pokemon beyond even your own current understanding!"

The Dojo Master then pointed to the unfurled scroll put up from behind him called the Scroll of Waters as he then finished, "Sarah, whenever you two are ready, please step forward and show him the Scroll of Waters when you feel it's time for him evolve."

Sarah nodded as he and Hashimoto claimed victory and they went forward to it after a mental debate between them. Looking at the Scroll of Waters, Hashimoto studied it as he slowly began to hear the waves from within the scroll crashing and splashing about along with the buzzing of a mantis and the screeching of a white crane. And then, he felt a gradual change brewing from within him.

A blue light surrounded him and he eventually became an Urshifu as he grew in size and stature. But, unlike Ching Wan in his Single Strike Style and Wang Lun, the fur atop his head and on his legs simply flowed down and the shortened ends of his headband flared forward and outward. With his current Kung Fu stance, he had his back left hand raised, his front right hand lowered, and his front right foot raised via the White Crane Style.

"...Whoa!" Hashimoto gasped as he relaxed and looked at himself, now in his new body and the wounds and bruises he once sported from his trial in the Tower of Waters gone entirely.

"You did it, Hashimoto," smiled Sarah as she came to him and patted him gently.

"You've done well, Hashimoto. I'm very proud of you; heh, I know I mentioned this to your brother before but I feel like you should know as well," smiled Mustard warmly as the pair turned to him.

"You've become quite the young man now since you've finally mastered the Style of Water as well as the Seven Star Mantis and White Crane Styles. And to think, last year, when I first introduced you and Ching Wan to the princess, you would've turned tail and hid behind me while your brother froze whenever you got scared, ha-ha-ha-ha! But, still, this is truly a momentous occasion for you and all of us at the Master Dojo; seeing someone grow and become a different person from the one they originally were always brings joy to my heart. This is certainly no different; now that you and Ching Wan are both grown up and had mastered all of your favorite styles, you are both now officially the Secret Armor of the Master Dojo."

He then gave a warm smile to Sarah as he then continued, "Princess, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now that my family's little boys are grown men and able to fully stand on their own two feet, I can rest easy knowing that they'll be just fine without me and everyone else back at the Master Dojo."

Sarah nodded as she and Hashimoto bowed, "Thanks, Master."

Mustard nodded warmly as he bowed back in respect but before any of them could continue, there was a frantic call coming from the little princess' friends as her Wrist Com went off and she had to answer it.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Sarah answered.

"Sarah! We're in trouble, we got a major problem and you gotta come back, now!" Ash alerted frantically.

"We just ran into trouble while we were all paying our respects to Zacian and Zamazenta at the Slumbering Weald and all of Galar could be in trouble again!" Lillie added worriedly.

"What?! What happened while you guys were out there, are you alright?" Sarah gasped in shock and concern, Hashimoto and Mustard sharing her worries as they watched on and listened.

"Things are a lot worse than you think, get back to the lab! And, fast!" Kiawe alerted, looking agitated.

"Right, I'm on my way!" Sarah nodded before she ended the call and looked apologetically at Mustard. "Sorry, Master, I know you want to see how Hashimoto fights in his new form but duty calls."

Mustard nodded understandably as he gave his blessings, "I understand, Sarah. I have a feeling I'll know about Hashimoto's new strength a little later, go and meet up with your friends."

He then gave a worried yet determined frown as he then warned, "But, Sarah, be careful out there; if what your friends said to you is true and that the Galar Region is in danger once more, I'm afraid to think what will happen if there are any hooligans about wanting to cause trouble for everybody. When that happens, you all must do everything you can to ensure that what happened during the recent Darkest Day incident should never happen again. Always trust the strength and heart you and your family and friends have in each other and you will succeed; but, remember, the entire fate of Galar depends on you, your friends, and your family's success and your continued willingness to do what is right in the face of danger, secrets, and lies."

Hashimoto and Sarah nodded and gave one final bow to Mustard before the latter vowed, "We swear to do whatever it takes to save Galar, no matter what the cost."

"Thank you, Shi-Fu, I won't let you down. And, above all, I'll use my styles wisely and make you proud," Hashimoto thanked before he and Sarah hurriedly left to exit the Tower of Waters and reunited with Ching Wan, Wang Lun, and the rest of their family and make their way back to the mainland.

All the while, Mustard just watched before a small smile crept onto his face and a proud tear fell from his eyes as he warmly whispered, "You already have just as Ching Wan did when he made that vow, my boy..."

In no time at all, after reuniting with Ching Wan and Wang Lung and alerting the rest of their family and Rotom-Dex to the gang's message before making a quick return to the mainland, they rendezvoused with the gang, Gloria, Hop, and Victor and they told them everything that went down while they were gone. Needless to say, Race, Sarah, her family, and everyone else (along with Sonia, Kukui, Burnet, and some of Sonia and Magnolia's lab assistants) were in shock by what Ash and the others had to say.

"WHAT/WHAT/WHAT?!" they all blurted in overwhelming shock.

"You were approached and attacked by two strangers who wanted to do something with Zacian and Zamazenta's weapons?! Those idiots, how dare they do this to them! Their sword and shield are sacred, they belonged to them and they had no right to take them since they're both their lost powers!" Rotom-Dex freaked as he flailed about angrily.

"What I want to know is who are the morons who would make off with them after ambushing you kids," Terrakion fumed, wanting to give the strangers a piece of his mind.

"But, we don't know who would be crazy enough to steal Zacian and Zamazenta's powers for something other than making them their trophies," Winter put in.

"Yes, they said their names were Sordward and Shieldbert. But, there was also something off about them," Sonia confirmed just as one of her assistants, Abby, was seen working away (which immediately drew the suspicions of another lab assistant of Magnolia and a close friend of hers, Hayden (not the pup)).

"Sonia, I hope you don't mind me asking but why exactly would you need Abby as your assistant?" Hayden questioned suspiciously, still keeping a wary eye on Abby and knowing of Sonia's knowledgable prowess. "You've been doing great with your research throughout the past year and you never needed help."

"Oh, right! Spot on, as usual, Hayden," Sonia smiled brightly as she explained.

"Well, I've been so busy with my research, especially after I've published my findings last year so I've decided to get some help with it and bring in Abby once I got a look at her work ethic and did a background check on her. I've been keeping all of the Wishing Stars Chairman Rose had been gathering safely in the lab and things have been hectic around here but my assistant has been handling things in a proper fashion and I'm very grateful to her for that. She's been a big help in keeping things afloat in the lab. Would you all come with me, please? I have something very important I like to show you that could provide a clue as to what Sordward and Shieldbert would be doing with Zacian and Zamazenta's powers."

She then led everyone to a couple of computers and explained, "You remember my new Power Spot Detector, right? You see, it detects and marks the places where Dynamaxing is possible. Whenever there's a high concentration of Galar Particles, the readings spike and that's how I figured it out! The Power Spot Detector can react whenever those two factors got close to each other."

"Oh, boy, here we go..." sighed Leon as he rolled his eyes, Ash and the others and even Charizard sharing his sentiments as they didn't want a repeat of the entire incident with Rose and Eternatus again.

Sonia was undeterred by their reactions as she continued, "Exactly! Basically, by following the readings given to us by the Power Spot Detector, we may be able to find Sordward and Shieldbert. Those weirdos have probably heard about the legend regarding the Darkest Day and the truth concerning Zacian and Zamazenta's part in it so they'll no doubt have something in mind concerning the Galar Particles and the Power Spots dotted across Galar. It won't be hard to find them; they have fancy-schmancy hairstyles and they claimed to be royalty but it's easy to call them weirdos, don't you think?"

"Hmph, those buffoons, they're a complete disgrace to the subject of royalty if they think they can denigrate the true heroes of Galar, especially since the Two Kings were lost in helping Zacian and Zamazenta save their home when it fell into chaos," Doug remarked with disdain.

"They have no idea that very soon, they'll be standing in the presence of true royalty the moment we'll see those animals if they think they can walk all over our baby's friends," Delilah fumed, disgusted.

"We know true royalty all too well," agreed Lana, also unimpressed.

"They definitely talk royalty but we had the pleasure and honor of being WITH true royalty all the time and they had no evidence to back up their claims," Sophocles nodded in agreement.

"Power Spot Detector, accessing Power Spot!" the computer read aloud, pinpointing a Power Spot that had been activated, catching everyone's attention as they looked at the monitor overhead that's connected to the lab computers.

"Whoa! No way, that's a big reaction the computer picked up! Way bigger than I expected but the readings show that it's likely coming from...Wait a minute, Turffield Stadium?" Sonia blinked in surprise once the location of the Power Spot was found.

"Turffield Stadium?" quizzed a confused Sarah.

Victor, Hop, and Gloria gasped in horror as Hop said, "That's where Milo is, he's the gym leader of Turffield Town!"

"He's actually the first one we had to battle with since Turffield Town is the first town we had to go to for the Gym Challenge! It sounds like he's in trouble when his gym's Power Spot reacted!" Gloria added with great worry.

"And, his gym is the first instance of Dynamax Battles we've each taken part in! We have to get to him and fast if he needs help!" Victor pointed out.

Sonia nodded gravely, "Right, you could always Dynamax Pokemon at the gym stadiums as long as you have a Dynamax Band so it's not unusual. But, these readings shown here are higher than normal and it can't be Eternatus since he was already caught and tamed when he was a loose cannon last year."

"I heard that," Eternatus mumbled from his Master Ball as it shook, unimpressed.

"You think it has anything to do with those Shieldbee and Sordart dorks that attacked you and stole Zacian and Zamazenta's powers?" Piplup questioned, not caring to say Sordward and Shieldbert's names properly.

"Those meanies?" piped up Appletun.

"Yeah, if they attacked our friends, they must be bad!" Buneary nodded with a frown.

"Very bad," Phanpy remarked as Fennekin, Skiddo, Snom, and Cyndaquil nodded in agreement.

"Well, Sarah, since you're our snazzy Galar hero and all with your heroics last year, maybe you and your mates should go and check it out," Victor offered.

"Right," Sarah nodded.

"While you're doing that and asking Milo for clues about the incident, I'll stay and try to find out where those weirdos have gotten to," Sonia replied as she got on her computers and started calculating for Sordward and Shieldbert's location(s).

Sarah nodded again before she turned to her family and Race, "Mom, Dad, can you and the others help Sonia find Sordward and Shieldbert and keep an eye out for anything or anyone funny that could cause trouble for us?"

"Anything for you, baby girl."

"Just be careful out there, okay, dear?" Doug and Delilah nodded, the three of them sharing a loving hug before she looked at Nikki, James, David, Donna (former queen), and Tsukumaro before they nodded to her as well.

Race approached his girlfriend and then they shared a hug and a kiss before the former then whispered, "Don't die, Island Girl..."

Sarah blinked as she heard this but she nodded regardless, knowing that she will be back along with her friends no matter what happens. With that said, Sarah turned to Liberty, the Dragonstone Patrol, and the Cat Pack with another order strictly for them.

"Liberty, I want you and the Dragonstone Patrol and the Cat Pack to stay with them, for now. I'll call you if we need you but given the state of things and what this Sordward and Sheildbert are doing with Zacian's sword and Zamazenta's shield right now, it's too dangerous for you to be out in the field."

"Okay, Sarah! You got an emergency at hand, I'm your gal for the job!" Liberty smiled knowingly.

"We, too!" the Dragonstone Patrol agreed.

"You got it, Meowzer!" Wild added, Shade, Rory, and Leo nodding in agreement which was all Sarah needed as she nodded back and she, her friends and friends, Gloria, Victor, and Hop along with their partner Pokemon and teams prepared to leave to see to the disaster and do something about it.

"Sarah!" Magnolia called as she came forward, stopping the youths in their tracks and having the princess join the Galar Professor.

"Before you go, I suggest that you best leave Eternatus here with us. As I've mentioned before, there will unfortunately still be people and Pokemon who don't fully trust him after all the pain they've been put through since the last Darkest Day incident. They may still have vivid memories of that time last year and they would be quick to pin the blame on him given everything that went down should you take him with you. As long as he remains here, under our care, an alibi will be given as to where he was."

Sarah was reluctant when Magnolia offered her proposal for Eternatus; she was still his responsibility ever since the second Darkest Day incident was quelled and it was agreed upon by the Macro Cosmos Board of Directors that she would take full custody of him and she wasn't going to give him up without reason. On one hand, she wanted to show everyone that Eternatus had changed since he had been captured and rehabilitated and prove that they were wrong to judge him so harshly. And yet, on the other, with the unexpected Dynamax incident at play and Sordward and Shieldbert making off with Zacian and Zamazenta's powers, she knew there will there be others who won't be swayed in any way, shape, or form about his redemption and would play to their own fears over what they don't understand about him.

Realizing that there was no other option to keep Eternatus safe from the ones who might try to harm him, Sarah nodded reluctantly and gave Magnolia the Master Ball containing him.

"Just promise me you'll all protect him should anybody come knocking and want to hurt him, okay, Professor?" she pleaded gently.

Magnolia gave a genuine smile as she nodded and said, "I promise we'll do our utmost to keep him safe no matter what the cost while you are gone."

"Eternatus, I'm leaving you here with everyone else while my friends and I for your own good. Wait here until I get back," Sarah told Eternatus inside the Master Ball.

"Ugh, I'm not exactly going or rolling anywhere in this thing, Pipsqueak," the Gigantic Pokemon remarked with a reluctant yet accepting huff. "But, as long as those tiny canines don't try to bring me out, I'm up for it."

"What?"

"Excuse me?"

"Fine."

"That's dumb," Tail, Heart, Brooke, and Trooper deadpanned in annoyance over Eternatus' blunt nature.

"Hey, Sarah! You'll need these," Aurora called before she unzipped her suitcase and brought out two circular devices that each had a pink five-point star on them before handing them to the princess.

"What are those things?" Lillie inquired, seeing the objects.

"Particle Holders; after you told us all about the Dynamax incident, I designed them to take the Galar Particles and store them safely there before they can be returned to Eternatus as they're technically his power. Use them to safely remove the Galar Particles from the Pokemon that have been Dynamaxed and you should save them but given their power levels when they're Dynamaxed, you'll have to weaken them first and hold them in place. Snowy's Sheer Cold may hold them in place long enough for you to use the holders but you won't have much time until they break free."

"Thanks, Aurora, you're a lifesaver," smiled Sophocles.

"That should definitely make our work easier," Kiawe agreed with a knowing smile.

"Come on, everyone, those Pokemon need our help. Let's get to Turffield Town and if we do find Sordward and Shieldbert along the way, let's see what they're up to," Ash called, taking the lead once again as he and his team went off first.

That was all Sarah needed to hear and with one final nod and a humored smile at seeing Ash taking up her position once more, she and the others made their way to Turffield Town to help its gym leader save his home from the latest Dynamax crisis in a little over a year. The rest including Race and his team stayed behind to not only hold the fort but to also guard Eternatus should there be any people who want to accuse him immediately of the resurfacing Dynamax incidents.

Soon, the gang, Sarah, their Pokemon, her family, Gloria, Victor, Hop, Inteleon, Cinderace, and Rillaboom (via Apparation) all arrived at Turffield Town. When they arrived at Turffield Stadium, they found Milo along with another of Galar's Gym Challenge Gym Leaders, Piers, trying to figure out what to do after the Dynamaxed Pokemon Sonia had mentioned to the group came charging in when they least expected it while they were in the middle of something, forcing them to retreat inside.

Milo is the Turffield Town Gym Leader who was a huge yet muscular young man that had peach-colored hair, green eyes, and fair skin with slight freckles on his face. He was wearing a large beige-colored sun hat on his head that had a green rim around it, a white t-shirt that had multicolored triangles coupled with symbols bearing the Grass Type symbol and the Gym Challenge insignia on it along with green and black shorts with booths to match (and had a bush design to them), and he wore a green and black glove and a Dynamax Band on his right hand and wrist. He even had custom-made Pokeball holders on each side of his waist. He was a kind, well-meaning man of Irish farm culture who was as humble as farmers with hearts of gold can be.

Piers, on the other hand, is once the Spikemuth Gym Leader who's the eccentric brother of an equally eccentric Marnie (who is his little sister and became Gloria, Hop, and Victor's close friend while on their own journeys), a slim yet tired-looking young man who appears glum and lethargic with pallid skin. His eyes were a droopy cyan with blue-grey eyeshadow surrounding them and angular black eyebrows and he had long spiky black and white hair covering one side of his face, being tied up in three ponytails that had alternating stripe patterns.

He wore what looked to be a black and magenta jumpsuit with shorts coupled with a cropped white jacket worn on top that had magenta diagonal striped shapes on the torso area and spikes on the wrist end of his left sleeve along with a thumbless black glove to boot and a collar with a grey band. His left wrist had a metal wristband and on his left hand wore a white glove but he also has a belt on his waist hanging from it and he also wore grey shoes and bands that had spikes pointing backward worn around his shins, the heels being a dark grey and shaped like a skull and the toes of his shoes being the same color.

He used to be the gym leader of Spikemuth Stadium (his city having fallen into obscurity some time ago when he was the only gym leader refusing to take advantage of Dynamaxing and move his city's gym to another Power Spot) but he had thus retired after the Postwick Trio completed the Gym Challenge and Gloria became the Galar Champion after beating Leon. And, since then, Marnie took up his brother's position as the new Spikemuth Gym Leader in response to Gloria's victory against Leon (to which she was relieved and happy to oblige since she didn't have to worry about the duties of a champion getting in the way of her wish to help her brother).

"Hey, Milo, Piers! Mates!" Victor cried out, catching the attention of the Turffield Gym Leader and the ex-Spikemuth Gym Leader.

"Victor, Gloria, Hop! How have ye been, m'friends?" Milo chuckled in relief when he saw them and their new friends. "And, I see you've brought the Ultra Rangers with ye, too. Brilliant, we could use all the help we can get 'round here."

"What's happenin' here?"

"Yeah, we heard something big was going down here. Is it a Dynamax Pokemon battle you're dealing with?" Victor continued along with Hop.

"Ack! How carefree can you young ones be?" spluttered Piers in disbelief before he turned to the Ultra Rescue Rangers. "Besides, besides you, Gloria, your friends here are the Power Rangers Ultra Rescue - the true Heroes of Galar! They're much bigger than the Dynamax Pokemon, let me tell you."

"Well, anyway, just now, I was actually in the middle of an exhibition match with Piers to demonstrate to my town how Dynamax Battles are performed and what trainers and their Pokemon should do with this power in a Dynamax Battle. But then, suddenly, out of nowhere, there was this Dynamaxed Pokemon charging into the stadium," Milo continued.

"The audience and the staff already took shelter after these two blue and red dudes barged in without warning and Dynamaxed a Tsareena," Piers added, still being eccentric.

"Sordward and Shieldbert... Of course, those two morons have to be the ones responsible for this mess," snarled Hop, slamming his right fist into his left hand in disgust at the two brothers.

Piers and Milo blinked as the latter asked, "You've heard of them or know them?"

"Did they ever and that's not the only problem we have with them! You guys know of Sonia's book concerning the truth about the Legend of Galar and how Zacian and Zamazenta were the ones responsible for saving the Galar Region 3000 years ago?" Rotom-Dex huffed as the two gym leaders nodded at him. "Well, they're the ones causing all the trouble because they jumped some of my friends here and then made off with Zacian and Zamazenta's powers!"

"What/No way?!" Milo and Piers screamed in shock.

"It's true; since you've just mentioned them, I'm sure it was them that you two just saw and they used Zacian and Zamazenta's weapons to Dynamax that wild or a trainer's Tsareena you also told us about. They're trying to stir up trouble by repeating the same mistakes Rose and his company once made for some reason!"

"And, now that they've Dynamaxed the Tsareena still in the stadium, we have to stop it before it does any more damage to the stadium or goes after the people taking shelter by mistake! Sordward and Shieldbert, they're gonna pay for this AND for hurting those Pokemon they'll be Dynamaxing! Come on!" Ash stated with a snarl before he and his Pokemon charged into the stadium, his team sharing his sentiments as they ran.

"Ash, wait, come back!"

"Don't go in there without a plan!" cried Lana and Victor.

"Pikachu, no!"

"Lycanroc!"

"Rowlet, get back here!"

"Torracat, stop!" Blitz, Dusk, Vikavolt, and Turtonator gasped in bewilderment.

"Ash, don't!" blinked Gloria in shock as she and the others (also baffled by Ash's attitude over the whole affair) quickly raced after the Kanto Trainer. "Not so fast, please, Ash! We can't keep up with you and your Pokemon! Ash, Pikachu! Wait!"

With Milo and Piers joining the group to give them a hand, they finally entered Turffield Stadium to confront the Dynamaxed Pokemon. When they arrived, however, they were stunned to find a Dynamaxed Tsareena running rampant in the stadium (the sight of it having spooked even Mallow's Tsareena herself as she gawked at it with widened eyes). Even the Jungle Guard, the baby Jungle Pokemon, the Virtual Crew, Winter, the mates of the Barbaric Archipelago dragons, and their children were left in total shock when they saw the full power of Dynamax and a Pokemon that has been exposed to Galar Particles in battle.

"Oh, my, good, Odin..."

"What in the name of...?"

"So, this is the power of Dynamax that Galar is famous for..."

"Look at it, that dude's huge!"

"Impossible!"

"No Pokemon has ever gotten that big before even if we didn't know about Galar until now!"

"He's as big as the late Red Death Queen's hideout!"

"Maybe even more!"

"We're never gonna pummel it with it being as big as a cluster of barns stacked up like a Jenga tower!" Rubble, Rocky, Tai Lung, Piplup, Gerudeon, Guardeon, Lilac, and Charger screamed, totally shocked and overwhelmed by what they saw.

"We just have to try to beat it in a Dynamax battle and that means four of us should take it on!" Sarah replied. "We'll get everyone else taking shelter to safety while four of you deal with that Tsareena!" Hop suggested.

"Thanks, Hop! Never expected less from a Gym Challenger even if you and Victor lost in the Semi-Finals!" Milo thanked, allowing Hop and Victor to nod back in acknowledgment and lead Ash and the others in the evacuation of the audience and staff, leaving Gloria, Milo, Piers, and Sarah to take on the Dynamaxed Tsareena (who roared at them after losing control of the Galar Particles it was infused with).

"Let's go, Inteleon!"

"Obstagoon, you too!"

"Come on, Cherubi!"

"Calyrex, I choose you!" the four trainers shouted as they summoned their chosen Pokemon.

"What the bloody Arceus-?!" spluttered Calyrex, baffled by what he and Glastrier were seeing.

"What's going on here?!" Glastrier neighed in bewilderment, unable to process what he had also seen before him and his father.

"I know, I know! This is a lot to take in but we've got to do something about that Dynamaxed Tsareena before it continues to go aggro on us and the entire stadium along with everyone else trapped in it!" Sarah replied quickly as she held the High King Pokemon's Ultra Ball. "Calyrex, Glastrier, I need your power for this one! We're about to go Dynamax!"

"If that's what you say, let's do it!" Calyrex nodded as he and Glastrier were returned and Sarah prepared to Dynamax them.

"Piers, Milo, Gloria! I have to Dynamax Calyrex for this battle against that Tsareena if we're going to calm it down, cover me!"

"Right, Obstagoon, Close Combat!"

"Cherubi, Solar Beam!"

"Inteleon, Snipe Shot!" Piers, Milo, and Gloria agreed, getting their Pokemon to attack first while Sarah Dynamaxed Calyrex, summoning him and Glastrier as they gave off their trademark blue Dynamax aura and stood ready for battle against the Dynamaxed Tsareena.

"Calyrex, use Max Hailstorm!" Sarah shouted, pointing Calyrex and Glastrier toward the Dynamaxed Tsareena.

"Right, do it, son!" Calyrex replied, allowing Glastrier to neigh and unleash a giant flurry of hail from Icicle Crash and Glacial Lance to rain down upon the Tsareena and wound it significantly even if it was still standing after the hit.

The Dynamaxed Tsareena, still out of control from the influx of Galar Particles bombarding it, retaliated by using Max Overgrowth and covering the stadium's field with a Grassy Terrain but also lashing out at the four Pokemon with four powerful Dynamaxed vines snapping at them.

"Hang in there, Cherubi! Use Magical Leaf!"

"Come on, Obstagoon! Shadow Ball, go!"

"Inteleon, keep it together, girl! Use your Hydro Pump!" Gloria, Milo, and Piers called to their Pokemon encouragingly.

"Are you alright, Calyrex, Glastrier?!" Sarah called frantically as Inteleon, Obstagoon, and Cherubi attacked the Dynamaxed Tsareena again.

"Don't worry, Princess! We're fine, this lass here's stronger than she looks given that powerful Max Outgrowth!" Calyrex reassured as he and Glastrier got themselves together.

"We'll need to take it down and fast and if Snowy and one of your friends with her along with the rest of your team got everyone out of the stadium alright, they should be here now!" Glastrier added, giving off a grunt as he prepared to fight again.

"Okay, let's try Max Strike!" On Sarah's orders, Calyrex and Glastrier used Max Strike to deal a hard blow to the Dynamaxed Tsareena and lower its speed stat which made it slower to counter when it tried to use Max Knuckle.

"HIT IT AGAIN!" Milo, Piers, Gloria, and Sarah shouted, allowing the four Pokemon to unleash Sucker Punch (Inteleon), Night Slash (Obstagoon), Draining Kiss (Cherubi), and Max Hailstorm in a group attack that struck the Dynamaxed Tsareena and made it stumble but it was still not going down as it unleashed Max Knuckle on them, causing them to take massive damage back with Calyrex and Glastrier as the only ones standing with Cherubi, Obstagoon, and Inteleon unable to battle as the three of them were knocked out cold.

"Oh no, Inteleon!"

"Cherubi, no!"

"DAH! Obstagoon!"

"Calyrex, you okay?!"

"U-Ugh! I'm alright! Glastrier, too!" the four humans and Calyrex bantered.

"Nothing's working, we've hit it with everything we got and it doesn't want to go down! It's going to keep running wild unless we hit it with a much more powerful force like all of our attacks combined and at full power!"

"Blast! How did it get so strong with all those Galar Particles bombarding it?!" snarled Piers in frustration.

"Whatever that miracle is, mates, we better hope that it comes soon!" Milo, Piers, and Gloria bantered while Sarah grunted, trying to figure out what to do as they were really in a pickle.

Their miracle soon came in the form of a roar that rang from above the stadium but it didn't come from Drogon, Zephyer, or any of Sarah's dragons as the fighters all looked up. To their stunned shock and amazement, there was a small group of wild dragons coming down towards them comrprising of a family of Night Lights along with a Titan Wing Mist Twister (looking ten times the size of Wu and Wei and surpassing Eternatus, Mist and Spark, and even their parents in length, completely stretching out at 100+ ft).

The Mist Twister's horns were gold but insisted of being a mix of red, gold, and blue, it had the coloration of black and white with m the left head being a pure snowy white with wavy horns, and a black mustache, beard, head fins, and eyebrows contrasted by emerald green eyes. The right head, by contrast, had conpletely straight horns, and a white mustache, beard, head fins, and eyebrows, with its ocean blue eyes being the only things that stood out; the Titan Wing Mist Twister's right head looked almost as beautiful as a small or fully-grown Night Light dragon.

The adult Night Light female had a similar appearance to Winter but her white wings were not as smooth as those from other members of her species', being simliar to those on Thunder with the edges having black clawed wings. She even had a large black eyepatch on her neck coupled with a black underbelly and a smaller black spine running down her entire length to her heart-shaped tail fins, a third fin in place to connect the two fins together. The base of her tail also had heart shaped fins on either side.

The man in the group, her mate, looked similar in appearance to Thunder but he was mostly black with white patches on his feet and had white spots above them. His back was white along with his spines and more white spots were dotted in alliance with them. He had a pair of tail fins at the base of his tail and yet, there were others located on the top while he was also further denoted by a scar present on his shoulder.

The elder Night Light (the grandfather of the family), looking bigger than the other adults, was black and white all over with a black head, ears, legs, wings, and tail, and a white chin and underbelly as well as white with black claws on his was, also akin to Thunder. However, one of his distinguishing features was a v-shaped back line on his upper neck and there were white-gray eyebrow-like markings around his face to denote his age and he had multiple tail fins on his tail, more so than any other Night Light Sarah had ever known.

Their Night Light hatchlings were tripplets (exactly two sons and one girl) just like Dart and her brothers but unlike them, they were much younger compared to them, being about half their size, even with/without suffering from Dwarfism. The oldest of the trio (the first son) had black scales, ocean blue eyes like his father, and white spots on his body; he most likely resembled Shadow but if he had Winter's characteristics such as the rounded tail fins on his tail.

The middle child (the girl) was nearly all white but she had multiple black spots in the middle of her forehead and running down her back to her tail with green eyes. The final and youngest hatcling of the trio (the second son), on the other hand, had blueish green eyes and was black on top and completely white on the bottom (he virtually looked like a dragon version of the Yin-Yang Tai Chi symbol).

"Oh, boy!"

"Sweet Betsy from Pike!"

"What the bloody hell are those things!?" Gloria, Milo, and Piers gawked in bewilderment as they tended to their downed Pokemon, seeing the Titan Wing Mist Twister and the new Night Light family preparing to attack the Dynamaxed Tsareena.

"Whoa, what are those friendly varmits doing?" Milo questioned in awe before he and everyone else saw them firing multiple blasts at the Tsareena's vines from Max Overgrowth, destroying two of them easily and starting to further weaken the Dynamaxed Pokemon as it roared in pain from its energy being sapped and when the Mist Twister turned its attention to it next.

The humans cheered in excitement over the unexpected assist and even Calyrex couldn't help but be amazed that they finally have a hail mary against the Dynamaxed Pokemon, one that would help them deal with the resurfaced Dynamax crisis much faster.

"Sarah, I have a feeling these new aquaintances of ours just helped us stop that Tsareena and save it from destroying us, Turffield Town, and itself from the Galar Particles!" Calyrex called to his human caretaker.

"Let's find out! One more time, Calyrex! One last Max Hailstorm!" Sarah ordered, allowing Calyrex and Glastrier to unleash Max Hailstorm a final time before she turned to the dragons helping them. "You guys, look out! Get out of the way!"

The wild dragons heard the warning and when they saw the Max Hailstorm raining down upon the Dynamaxed Tsareena, they immediately darted out of the way just in time before they would get hit along with the Grass Type. Luckily, the Mist Twister had managed to weaken it more and the Night Light family were finished with the vines from Max Overgrowth so they didn't have to worry about it being a threat still.

It was all it took for the Dynamaxed Tsareena to finally go down after Max Hailstorm dealt a tremendous amount of damage to it, allowing for a Sheer Cold attack several moments later to be shot out of nowhere and trap the worn-out Dynamax Pokemon in place.

Everyone battling turned to find Lillie and the others having arrived back after evacuating everyone gathered in Turffield Stadium, the Vulpix Ranger and Snowy managing to use Sheer Cold in the nick of time before the Dynamaxed Tsareena can have a chance to recover and fight back. The gang, Victor, and Hop were shocked to see the new dragons with them but they didn't have time to take in the sight of them for long as they knew they had other things to worry about such as the Fruit Pokemon trying to escape from its prison.

"Sarah! Use Aurora's Particle Holders while you have a chance!" Lillie shouted to her best friend once she saw the Dynamaxed Tsareena trying to break free as cracks can be seen on the ice.

"HURRY!" agreed Snowy, allowing Sarah to nod and take out one of the Particle Holders before she opened it and held it out.

Once she had the first Particle Holder in place, the gadget started to draw in the Galar Particles from the Fruit Pokemon and make it shrink back to its normal size. Everyone watched with bated breath to see whether or not Sarah, Gloria, Piers, Milo, their Pokemon, and the new dragons' efforts to subdue the out-of-control Dynamaxed Pokemon were in vain. Their hopes were not unfounded as the Tsareena (returning to its normal size and now free of the Galar Particles) finally passed out and breathed normally, bringing relief to everyone gathered but also happy cheers in knowing that one Pokemon's safe from the resurfaced Dynamax crisis.

Later, everybody returned to the Turffield Stadium lobby to regroup and try to further piece together what they all know that had caused the Dynamax crisis to happen all over again. The (female) Tsareena that was once Dynamaxed, standing by Milo's side, was now wide awake and yet, she didn't remember anything after she was infused with the Galar Particles as if it was a blank slate.

"Do you remember everything that happened when you were Dynamaxed, my friend?" Mallow's Tsareena asked gently.

The now-wild Tsareena tried to recall anything that led to her being Dynamaxed and the entire incident but try as she might, she couldn't remember what exactly went down as she eyed her counterpart sadly and shook her head. "I-I'm sorry, I, I don't know... The last thing I remember, I was minding my own business out in the field in the outskirts of Turffield Town but, that beam, and a nearby Power Spot... I, uh, I was then hit with Galar Particles soon after and then, it all went blank the moment I went crazy..."

Mallow's Tsareena nodded sympathetically as she comfored her wild counterpart while the others looked at the new dragons in shock, awe, and fascination.

"Wow, I never knew there'd be dragons living in the Galar Region, too!"

"No kidding!" Ash and Pikachu gawked in amazement, looking over the Mist Twister.

"A Night Light family and a Titan Wing Mist Twister," Lana breathed, recalling her studies on dragons with Sarah she and the others had done prior.

"I wonder how they got here instead of that island where Shadow and Winter's family and the mates of the other dragons were," Kiawe thought.

"Maybe these dragons also escaped from the Dragon Wars in Berk all those years ago and made the region, specifically Turffield Town, their home after coming across this region just as most of the other dragons with us had. Given how much of a panic they were in to get away from the Dragon Hunters and Vikings at that time, they would choose the first place they see as a new home to hide and take shelter at," Sophocles theorized as the Night Light family started to mingle with the gang and Ash's Pokemon (mostly the younger Night Light hatchlings).

"I'm just glad they came when they did, they really had us on the ropes and we're very grateful to them for coming," Gloria smiled at the dragons, a now-healed Inteleon nodding in thanks and agreement to the dragons.

"And, thanks to them and you mates, everything's finally clamed down," Milo thanked.

"Indeed, thank you, friends. Ugh, Dynamaxing... No matter how many times I look at it and see its potential, I still don't like it," Piers added with a shudder at the last part about Dynamax.

"You really hate Dynamax that much, do you, Piers?" Mallow questioned.

"You have no idea, Mallow, young lady," Piers nodded in disgruntlement. "Perhaps, there was some disharmony between a trainer and that Pokemon..."

"I guess your views on Dynamaxing hasn't changed a bit even after all this time, Piers," chuckled Milo before he gave a serious frown as he thought back on the Dynamax Battle prior. "But, even so, there's defintely something off about that Dynamax transformation back there."

He then turned to Gloria and Sarah with one thing in mind, "Gloria, Sarah, I'm certain you two and your friends noticed something strange about the Dynamax Battle and that Tsareena's transformation, too, right?"

"Yes, I'm sure we're not the only ones who noticed it," Gloria nodded in agreement.

Hop couldn't help but agree to the strange circumstances of everything that went down as well, "Yeah, I've looked everywhere in the stadium while we were evacuating everyone but there was no trainer around and that Tsareena did look as though she didn't have any control over the power herself. If that's the case, then that Tsareena you guys battled is a wild Pokemon."

Milo nodded back as his suspicions grew, "Quite right and that makes it all the more strange; normally, a Pokemon in a trainer's care needs to respond to a Dynamax Band in order for it to Dynamax but as you said, Hop, there was no trainer to be found. It does at a unique enigma of mystery to this whole affair..."

Everyone thought for a moment on the affair but eventually, Milo smiled warmly as he reassured everyone, "But, I wouldn't worry about it too much; the answers will come soon, hopefully. In the meantime, I'll make sure Turffield Gym takes good care of this Tsareena for the time being before we let her go home."

He extended his smile towards the wild Tsareena as he then said, "Come on, Tsareena, follow me. You've really helped me out, mates, thanks for all that you've done."

"Yes, many thanks to you, everyone," the wild Tsareena smiled back as she and Milo left.

Everyone smiled happily for the wild Tsareena as she followed Milo to another part of the gym to begin her check-ups for any side effects or anything else that would pose a problem to her following her Dynamax transformation. But, their happiness was short-lived when a pair of voices rang out and they were familar yet unpleasant ones that filled Ash, Mallow, Gloria, Lana, Sophocles, Hop, Kiawe, Lillie, and Victor as well as their Pokemon with a sense of dread and anger as they all wheeled around to find the two royal wannabes that were responsible for their fight against the Dynamaxed Tsareena in the receptionist's desk.

"Well, well, well, looks like you meddling kids and your wild posse of a menagerie solved this Dynamax crisis nonsense."

"The Champion and her miserable commoners, as expected. And, the Sun Princess of Alola, how nice to meet you, at last, m'dear," Sordward and Shieldbert sneered.

"It's Sordward and Shieldbert!" Victor gasped, snarling at the duo.

"Argh, we knew you'd be here and the ones responsible for what happened to that Tsareena earlier! Do you have any idea what you've just done?!" snapped Hop angrily as he and Rillaboom prepared to fight. "Give us back Zacian's sword and Zamazenta's shield! You have no right to steal that from them, something that we know all too well!"

Sordward huffed as he held Zacian's sword and snootily said, "Well, I never. It's not like it's something that belongs to you, too, kid. For you see, a treasure such as this and the shield my brother is holding are not ones to end up in the hands of some filthy meddlesome Pokemon."

"Even if they were yours, we wouldn't dare have the nerve to give them back," added Shieldbert as snootily as his brother.

"What is wrong with you two?! You do realize that by stealing Zacian and Zamazenta's powers and denigrating them as well as their legacy as you are now, you're only putting the Galar Region in more danger, right?!" Victor snapped back furiously.

"You two think you're so tough with what you're doing now, huh? Get over here so I can battle you for them!" Hop agreed, seething with rage.

"Stop it, you two! Forget about them, they're not worth it right now!" Gloria clapped back, trying to reign her friends back before they would do anything crazy just as Inteleon was trying to keep an equally-enraged Rillaboom and Cinderace from going crazy on them.

"Who are those guys? I don't understand it, spectators and staff should've been evacuated the moment that poor Tsareena Dynamaxed and went out of control," Piers pondered in bewilderment at Sordward and Shieldbert.

"The normal rules don't apply to us, Piers. We're naturally too good for them unlike you gym leaders whom we look down upon along with the commoners."

"Indeed, that's what it means for us to be big-name celebrities," Sordward and Shieldbert sneered again with a mocking bow before the latter continued to taunt, his insults directed towards Piers.

"And, who are you to question us, you ruffian? You're just an egomanic who knows nothing about royal couth and has a strange taste in bizzare and outrageous hair styles. I mean, get a load of that black and white color... Hmmm, much too goth-like and so, so unnatural with all of this Team Meanies nonsense that was prattling around for our taste, wouldn't you agree, Elder Brother?"

Piers was indifferent to their taunts and given that he had always been eccentric about how people saw him differently and how he does things as a gym leader who doesn't embrace Dynamax, he didn't care what they thought about him, "Hmph, you royal snippers would think I'd put any faith in words from rude little punks such as you who don't have any respect for our region's true history?"

"Well, think all you want. But, it seems that from what we've seen until you and those meddling butted in, our little experiment was a rousing success. A perfect first step towards our ultimate goal despite a few hiccups, don't you think, Little Brother?" Sordward questioned Sheildbert, still acting smug.

"Quite, quite, remarkable progress from our end with that Dynamax transformation on that pitiful Fruit Pokemon. Next time, why don't we try to Dynamax an even stronger Pokemon so that we can generate more Galar Particles for our ultimate plan," agreed a smug Shieldbert.

Sordward smiled as they gave off devious smirks, "At last, once our mission is complete and we finally have those wretched 'Heroes of Many Battles' crawling towards us, we will finally reveal the true nature of Zacian and Zamazenta! And then, our monarchy will finally rule all of Galar once again!"

"What did you say?!" Lillie, Lana, and Mallow snapped, shocked and enraged.

"What was that you creeps said about Zacian and Zamazenta?!"

"How dare you denigrate them and the legacy they left behind!"

"You have no respect for them or Galar's true history and how the Darkest Day incident actually played out!" Ash, Kiawe, and Sophocles barked furiously, the gang's Pokemon all glaring and seething at the two royal brothers as well.

"You..." Gloria breathed in shocked outrage, now just as furious as her friends are as she pointed at them. "...YOU MONSTERS!"

Sordward and Shieldbert heard the insults being thrown at them and they narrowed their eyes with gritted teeth at the gang and the Postwick Trio, turning their attention towards Sarah and her family as they gave a devilish smirk and Sordward extended his hand to her.

"How about it, Princess? Let's join forces and expose the true nature of those Pokemon you care so deeply about, you don't need these ruffians holding you back. Why don't you come and join us, the real royal heroes of Galar?" Sordward sneered with a smirk.

Sarah fumed at Sordward's attempt to seduce her and make her betray her family and friends while also continuing to mock and denigrate two of the very Pokemon that had saved her and everyone else she loved twice. Not falling for the older "royal" brother's lies, she drew Doug's Sun Sword she had slung over her right shoulder and pointed it directly at the brothers to give them her answer.

This surprised Sordward and Shieldbert as they realized that she was not one to be swayed by lies of any kind, even from people such as them, as the latter scoffed in disbelief, "What, you'd fight us, over a pair of imposters, cads who are not all as they seem to be?"

"Say what you will about Zacian and Zamazenta and tell as many lies and tall tales as you can about them but there are a few things that they have that you two don't that make them real heroes," Sarah spat, glaring.

"Oh? And, what are they?" Sordward asked, fuming.

"You might not know them but they both have a heart, compassion, empathy, the will to do what is right and live on no matter what the cost. Right now, their hearts are crying out and ringing loud and clear. And, they're telling me that you're on the wrong side!"

This made the brothers seethe with fury as Shieldbert finally said to her, "Fine! Believe all that you want, it doesn't change a thing nor our goal for this region and those Pokemon, 'Princess'! We're going to Dynamax all the Pokemon we can find and let them keep running wild until you come to your senses!"

They smirked again as Sordward finished, "And, if you ever hope to stop us and save your precious Zacian and Zamazenta, you'll have to chase after our splendid-looking, celebrity bottoms to do so!"

And, with a final "Ta-Ta!" and a pair of mocking laughs, the two brothers fled, leaving everyone else seething with rage at them as they left Turffield Stadium and Turffield Town behind.

"Stop!"

"Come back!"

"Wait!" Hop, Victor, and Gloria bellowed with rage, seeing the brothers disappear.

"Calm down, you three. They're not worth it right now, you don't gotta act so hard even if you were partially responsible for what's happening," Piers warned.

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?!" Gloria snapped, filled with dread for Zacian and Zamazenta's fates.

"They're mocking and stomping all over Zacian and Zamazenta's deeds and everything they did for all of Galar!"

"We can't let them get away with this!" Victor and Hop agreed, sharing her sentiments and worries for the Heroes of Many Battles.

"But, that's just what they want out of you and us; they're trying to stoke the fires the started so that we'd react and do so at the wrong place at the wrong time. We can't just go rushing after them unprepared and at the worst of times, too."

"Yeah, we have to be ready for whatever they throw at us," Kiawe agreed, swallowing his pride for Pokemon and looking at the Postwick Trio gently.

"Wherever they're running to, it could be a trap and they're likely trying to bait us."

"If they really are going to Dynamax a ton of Pokemon to denigrate Zacian and Zamazenta and snuffle out the truth, we need to get them to calm down first and figure out how to make those two weirdos realize their mistakes and stop them later," Sophocles reminded.

"But, how are we going save all those Pokemon that they're Dynamaxing with Zacian and Zamazenta's powers as well as Zacian and Zamazenta themselves if we don't know where they're going to strike next?" Hop questioned frantically.

"I say we split up, form different grids and start safeguarding the other stadiums should they and the other gym leaders run into the same kind of trouble Milo was in earlier," Ash suggested. "If they made that wild Tsareena rampage in this stadium, no doubt they'll be after another Pokemon at the other gyms next."

"The other seven gyms in the entire region?"

"All of them?!" panicked Thundereon and Poipole.

"And, we only got two Particle Holders on us!" Andres grunted in dismay.

"Not for long, we're not. Geminio Particle Holder!" Sarah shouted, brandishing her wand and pointing it toward the group's remaining empty Particle Holder, using the Doubling Charm to create six more holders. "Here, take two of them, one for each of you! I'll keep the other four with me along with our last one."

She then gave Ash and Lana two Particle Holders as she gave out her orders to the group, "As Ash said, we'll need to split up; that's our best chance in dealing with the Dynamaxed Pokemon right now. If we do see those dorks, we'll deal with them accordingly but don't try to engage them unless we have the situation under control or if we find out anything else about their scheme. Ash, you, Mallow, and Lillie go with Piers and head to Motostoke to deal with the Dynamaxed Pokemon there, Kabu will likely need your help. Lana, Sophocles, Kiawe, you guys make your way to Hulbery and give Nessa some help if she's dealing with a Dynamaxed Pokemon, too, I'll call Leon and have him and Charizard join you."

"I get it, Divide and Conquer; sure worked when you kids took on Eternatus and stopped his revenge plot along with the other Dynamaxed Pokemon last year," Piers stated as the others nodded in agreement to the plan.

"While Gloria, Hop, Victor, and I along with Race head to Ballonea and check up on Bede and Opel to see if they have a Dynamax Pokemon crisis on their hands, too, I'll take the Particle Holder I used to Sonia so she and Magnolia can use the particles I've captured for their research and to see if there are any countermeasures we can use to prevent this from happening again. I'll have Harmony and the rest look after and protect Spikemuth, Stow-on-Side, Circhester, and Hammerlocke. I'm also not gonna rule out Wyndon in our 'cities to protect' list since it'll also suffer from this crisis. Victor, Gloria, Hop, you three go on ahead to Ballonea. I'll catch up after my family and I get Race to help us."

"Got it!" everybody agreed with a nod.

"Good luck."

With that, everybody set off to put their plan to save Galar for a second time into practice. Ash, Piers, Mallow, and Lillie rushed off to give the Motostoke Fire Type Gym Leader, Kabu, some help with his own Dynamax Pokemon issues while Lana, Kiawe, and Sophocles went to Hulbrey first to help the Water Type Gem Leader, Nessa, some assistance with her own Dynamax Pokemon problems. Victor, Hop, and Gloria were the first ones making their way to Ballonea to check up on Opel and their old rival, Bede, to help them out while Sarah and her family made their way back to Wedgehurst and Magnolia's lab.

Once she had apparated herself and her family with her back to the lab, they quickly went inside where they found the others in the main research room, looking concerned as they saw them rush in.

"Princess, are you okay?"

"What happened at Turffield, is Milo okay?" Tsukumaro and Sonia asked.

"He's fine, and so is Piers. We managed to calm down a Dynamaxed Tsareena before it can go rampant on Turffield Stadium and Milo's taking care of her now," Sarah explained as she handed Sonia the Particle Holder containing the Galar Particles she captured. "But, we found out something worse; Sordward and Shieldbert were the ones that Dynamaxed the wild Tsareena!"

"What/Huh/No?!" everybody else gasped in shock.

"Oh, dear, I was afraid this would happen," Magnolia replied gravely. "It appears that those two, who are both spearheading a campaign to discredit poor Zacian and Zamazenta that we've been hearing about for the past three months, have already begun making their move."

"Are you sure about this, sweetie?" Donna (former queen) questioned.

"They told us that they planned to Dynamax every other Pokemon, stronger ones, infusing them with uncontrollable amounts of Galar Particles to the point that they would go crazy and out of control, all without a nearby trainer. They even said that they're doing all of this just to restore what is the Galar Royal Monarchy."

"The Galar Royal Monarchy?" everyone else repeated in surprise.

"They believed that their ancestors, the original Two Kings, were the ones that were solely responsible for stopping Eternatus while he went on his rampage the first time 3000 years ago and they didn't believe that Zacian and Zamazenta were the ones that truly saved Galar from him all those years ago. Sordward and Shieldbert think that if they can reveal what they think is Zacian and Zamazenta's 'true nature' to the world, they would establish that the truth that we and Sonia found is wrong and they would tarnish their good names and reputations, making their achievements nothing more than a fairy tale and throw all the credit onto the Two Kings and restore the monarchy in their own twisted vendetta for personal glory!"

"They're trying to discredit the truth that we've found and smear what I've been pushing in my research to get everyone to realize the actual story behind the Darkest Day?!" Sonia gasped in horror.

"Did you find out anything else about their plans?" Hayden (scientist) quizzed.

Sarah nodded, "Yeah, they've been collecting Galar Particles from the Pokemon they're Dynamaxing in order to gather enough to make Zacian and Zamazenta go crazy, enough for them to force them to reveal what is their 'true nature'. That wild Tsareena was just the start; they're going to be targeting wild Pokemon in the other cities before or after they collect Galar Particles from those very Pokemon, too. I've already sent the others in two groups down to Motostoke and Hulbrey, and Piers is going with Ash, Mallow, and Lillie to help Kabu."

She then turned to Leon, "Leon, I need you Charizard to join Lana, Sophocles, and Kiawe to see if you guys can give Nessa some help with her own Dynamax Pokemon crisis. They'll need all the firepower they can get."

Leon gave a determined nod, "You got it, Sarah. We've already gone through too much the last time Galar is in danger, I'm not gonna have us lose Galar again!"

"Wait a minute, Leon, are you sure you're going to be okay with the kids?" Sonia asked worriedly.

"Absolutely, you guys keep an eye on things from here. If Sordward and Shieldbert make another move and come here and try anything fun, I'm sure one of our groups will jump right back to help you," the former Galar Champion nodded. "Come on, Charizard, let's fly!"

Charizard roared in agreement as he and Leon made their way to Hulbery while Sarah handled the Dragonstone Patrol four of the Particle Holder copies as she told them, "Harmony, Wild, Liberty, guys, I need you all to look after Stow-on-Side, Spikemuth, Hammerlocke, and Circhester, to see if any of the other gym leaders are facing the same Dynamax Pokemon crisis as we are."

"Sure thing, Sarah! You got a problem, I'm your pup!" Liberty nodded. "So, what's the sitch, girlfriend?"

"Liberty, I'll need you, Aurora, and the Cat Pack to dart your way towards Circhester Stadium and check on Gordie if there's a Dynamax Pokemon running wild at Circhester Stadium. I'll have the Swords of Justice come over to help you but you don't have a Dynamax Band to give you that edge so you'll be on your own for this one. Harmony, you and the rest of the Dragonstone Patrol go with Raven and head on over to Stow-on-Side to check on Bea and Allister and help them with a Dynamax Pokemon, I've already outfitted your collars with the Apparation Charm so you don't have to worry about going back and forth between there and here at an instant."

"We're ready to roar! Meow-Wow!"

"With Strength and Respect..."

"...Dragons Protect!" the Cat Pack and the Dragonstone Patrol saluted as they summoned their gear, the latter group joining Raven and apparating away to Stow-on-Side (Hayden (Spy Pup) volunteering to stay behind as she cast a wary eye on Abby) while Liberty and the Cat Pack took to their vehicles and took off for Circhester with the Swords of Justice following behind them.

"Race, I'll need your help. Victor, Hop, and Gloria are on their way to Ballonea and I need you and your team to come with me," Sarah offered to her boyfriend.

"Okay, Island Girl, just don't try to die on me when my back's turned," the Hoenn BF Champion agreed as he and his Pokemon joined his girlfriend and her family with her.

"Mom, Dad, do you think I can borrow Meleyes and Caraxes to show Sordward and Shieldbert what happens when they mess with us?" Sarah asked her parents.

"No, no, I think it would be best if they stay with us for added protection given the state of things and for Etenernatus' sake, baby girl," Doug kindly rejected.

"I think you best leave your show of intimidation to us should there be any ruffians who would want to cause trouble for us, especially Eternatus and Sofia. Just be careful on your way there and don't lose sight of your friends and each other on the way there!" Delilah added, both of them getting a sigh but also an agreeing nod from their daughter.

With that, Race, his team, Sarah, and her family with her quickly apparated on their way to Ballonea to meet up with Victor, Gloria, and Hop while the rest of their party stayed behind to look after Sonia, Eternatus, and the professors. As soon as they were gone, however, Hayden (Spy Pup) saw her chance as she snuck a suspicious gaze at Abby (who was quietly smirking at Sonia) and quickly got together with Tsukumaro, Sonia's Pokemon, and Hayden (scientist) into a secluded corner to express their suspicions about the oddball assistant.

"I don't like this, you guys. There could be still too many question marks regarding this crisis; Sordward and Shieldbert couldn't be the only ones forefronting this crazy scheme of theirs. They couldn't have known about Zacian and Zamazenta by coincidence given the findings Sonia had published from what Sarah told us," Hayden (Spy Pup), eying Abby warily.

"And, from what I can find out from that experience, it seems that having their statue hidden by that mural that was destroyed last year is not by coincidence, either. It's as if somebody wanted to deliberately keep people in the dark about the Heroes of Many Battles and the truth about the first Darkest Day," Tsukumaro agreed.

"Do you think it could be that those two had a mole to clue them in on Galar's Legendary Pokemon which is why they want to mock Mommy?" Sonia's Yamper puzzled.

"A mole, who would be crazy enough to infiltrate this place and tail Mom for information like that and leak it to those weirdos?" Growlithe purred skeptically.

"What about that lady there? She gives me the willies," Rockruff replied, pointing towards the still-smirking Abby as he gave a small shiver of dread.

Even if he couldn't understand what the Pokemon were saying, Hayden (scientist) had to agree from what he can piece together from their conversation, "You're right, guys, I don't know why but I have a funny feeling about Abby. Why would Sonia need help from her if she's been able to do her research and all of this coupled with getting her works published along with the truth about Zacian and Zamazenta all by herself? She's the brightest scientist of this generation after her grandmother and hers and I can tell since I've been working with her even while she's a student for a long time now..."

"If that's so, we need to be alert around that woman at all costs. That smirk is telling us that she knows something about those two scoundrels' plan for Zacian and Zamazenta and if we're going to get anything out of her, we need to strike while the iron is hot. That means being ready to weed the truth out of her at the right time when those two fools make their move here once they're in the middle of or finish their Dynamaxing rounds," Tsukumaro suggested, getting agreeing nods from Sonia's Pokemon and the two Haydens, all of them still keeping a watchful eye on Abby.