Note: Stay tuned for Part 4 of this Special, there are more Pokemon surprises to come in the last legs of this Cyberchase Misadventure.
Eventually, after some more sailing across the river and through Parosea's cavern river home, they soon reached the end of Level 7 and the path leading to Level 8 and Naroseal's desert abode. Since they've reached the end of the river as far as the new raft could take them, Sarah and her family resorted to following Parosea and Delosky on land, much to the delight and relief of the others as they didn't want another encounter with the raptors. Once they crossed through the pathway leading to Level 8, they were soon greeted by the blaze of the hot sun and miles and miles of nothing but sand dunes.
"Okay, who turned up the heat in Cyberspace?" said Glaceon, suddenly feeling the heat.
"Yeah, I'm starting to sweat a storm under the sun. Where are we?" Salamence added, starting to feel hot and bothered from the heat getting to him.
"According to what Ming Wu just told us, we must be at Level 8. She did say that this was meant to be a desert level," Kit put in, remembering Ming Wu's words from Sarah's recent call with her.
"I think she did too good of a job getting the realistic weather down pat," groaned James, trying to shield himself from the sun's rays. "You think Ming Wu would've considered protective gear for gamers' characters so they won't get a game over from weather-related damage..."
"Our kind of place," Kaji smiled, enjoying the heat along with the rest of Sarah's Fire Types.
"Hmm, this place isn't too bad. Not bad at all," added Tyrantrum, looking curiously around the desert and not bothered by the heat at all.
"Gobi Desert, eat your heart out," Mudsdale chuckled, thinking that the desert isn't too bad even though he could be wrong.
"I guess this is where we'll find Parosea and Delosky's sister since they did mention that she lived here whilst the former took refuge in the previous level and Delosky finds herself more at home in the valley back at Level 6," mused Nyasi.
"What are we waiting for, let's go!" called Dracovish, preparing to move out as he remained optimistic.
"Stop, Dracovish!" shouted Sarah, running up to and grabbing him before he could cross the desert.
"Hold everything, cowboy! Deserts are not for the faint of heart if your bodies are mostly composed of water," Parosea warned, looking towards her and her sister's new friends.
"What do you mean, Parosea?" quizzed Star in confusion.
"You seriously think you all can walk across a single vast desert on a hot summer's day and survive? This is not like being at the beach for you guys and you're lucky to be near water when you're there, there's no water around here for miles until you get out."
"She's right, the desert is one of the most treacherous landscapes back in the real world," Tsukumaro added grimly and knowingly. "Ice and Water Type Pokemon are most vulnerable here due to the blazing sun and there won't be a sustainable body of water for miles which also meant the Tidal Class dragons are at risk of dehydration as excessive heat is their main weakness if they're away from water for too long."
"Aw, man..." moaned Snowflake as her family did their best to comfort her.
"Are you serious?!"
"Not cool," Hydro and Hurricane gulped worriedly.
"I hate too much heat!" Amaura replied fearfully as Tyrunt gently nuzzled her.
"Yes, I can only withstand so much heat until the sun brings me to a boil," Glaceon whined as she tried to preen herself.
"So, that means Glaceon, Arctozolt, Snowflake, Tundra, Snom, Amaura, Azul, Azula, Hydro, and Hurricane can't stay out in the sun for too long or else they'll die," Mai whimpered, worried for her siblings and friends.
"I'm afraid so, Mai. While some of us are Dual Types now, in the case of Pokemon like me, I was once purely a Water Type back when I was a Popplio," Aqua nodded, sharing Mai's concerns.
"But, you're also a Fairy Type, Ms. Aqua. You can still take in the heat from the sun even though you're a Water Type," Poipole tried to reason with the Primarina as she floated to her sisters.
"Not for long periods of time, Poipole. Unless there are sufficient water bodies around this level in Cyberspace, we won't be able to last long before we collapse from heat exhaustion. Excessive heatwaves and Water and Ice Pokemon, no matter if they're Single or Dual Types, don't mix. The same can be said for Hydro and Hurricane in their case since they're purely water dragons of all creatures."
"And, we have another problem, Aqua. I can return you guys and your fellow Ice and Water Type Pokemon to your Pokeballs but I know they don't work on dragons like Hydro and Hurricane and I don't know how Parosea can handle this heat if her and Delosky's sister lives here," Sarah replied, knowing what else is troubling about their current solution to their latest problem.
"Then, I know how we can help Hydro and Hurricane keep wet and cool while we're passing through Level 8," Race suggested, getting everyone's attention. "Island Girl, do you have anything we can use to keep them soaked until we get out of here? Or, do one of your Pokemon know any Water Type attacks that can do it for us?"
"Maybe, but I don't know how long they'll stay wet and cool with whatever you're thinking about before the sun will eventually dry it up," nodded his girlfriend.
"Ponchita, your Goodra knows Rain Dance," replied James, getting where Race was heading. "If we can have him use it throughout our time in the desert on them, Hydro and Hurricane won't be bothered from the heat and they'll be wet until we get out of here."
"Sounds like a plan," Sarah nodded, knowing Race and her adoptive father's idea to be good.
But, Goodra looked over to Parosea and piped up as he raised a hand, "Wait a minute, Sarah. What about Parosea, she's technically not your Pokemon but after seeing her soak those raptors chasing us on hoverboards back at Level 7, we can confirm she's a Water Type. I don't know if she and her sister can even stay in a Pokeball since Ming Wu created them, making them essentially hers."
"Yeah, but Mother doesn't have a large cooler or a mobile fish tank on her and I'm not wheeling her across this desert like a busboy," Silvally deadpanned.
"But, we gotta do something to keep her cool along with Hydro and Hurricane, Ani!" pleaded Tou-Tou.
"If I may offer a solution, my friends," announced Aurorus, deciding to speak up as she turned to Parosea who was already feeling hot and sweating.
"Parosea, would you mind if I carry you on my back since the heat is already being too much of a bother for you? Judging from how cold my crystals are, my body is practically below 240 degrees Fahrenheit (-150 degrees Celsius) all the time. Azul and Azula were able to last long while they were on my back so perhaps you'll survive this infernal desert while you're on me the whole time."
"Would I?!" Parosea perked up, flying down to her body and resting herself on it. "Ooh, oh, yes..."
Aurorus had to smile as Azul and Azula were returned to their Pokeballs for their protection while Parosea remained on her back. "I had a feeling you'd enjoy that, Azul and Azula wouldn't part with me since I've become their personal living cooler unless we're near adequate bodies of water," she chuckled to the South Spirit Pokemon while Goodra prepared to use Rain Dance.
"How long do you want me to use Rain Dance, Sarah?" the Dragon Pokemon asked the princess.
"Just long enough until we get out of here, Goodra. Nobody knows how big Ming Wu made this level compared to the others so we'll be doing a lot of walking in the meantime," Sarah replied as she continued to return much of her Water and Ice Types.
"Can we get out of here now?" Eterantus grumbled, growing impatient by the minute.
"Alright, alright. Don't have a bird, Mr. I Want To Leave Now, I was just finishing up," the princess sighed as she returned Aqua but left out Aurorus for Parosea.
Finally, once they were all ready for the long trek across the desert for the exit and Delosky and Parosea's sister, they set off with Goodra now using Rain Dance over Suicune, Sokka, and Keldeo (all deciding to stay out of their balls for to give their family added protection) to keep them hydrated and cool from the heat as best he could. The trek through the desert was long and arduous and the unbearable heat was starting to take its toll on the heroes but barring Virizion (who was feeling fine herself under the heat), Sarah's Grass Types were able to perform photosynthesis as they took in the heavy sunshine while her Rock, Ground, and Fire Pokemon were more accustomed to the heat so they weren't feeling worn out in the slightest compared to the others.
"I don't see why you guys would enjoy having this much sun even though we're not at the beach back home," grumbled Braivary, trying to "brave" the heat bearing down on the heroes.
"Yeah, I want to soak myself back in the river and when we get back home, I'm never taking water for granted again," Wooloo panted in agreement.
"Stop whining, you big babies," Houndoom grunted, knowing how they felt but not letting their discomfort annoy him. "You may not care for this heat but we Fire Types think of heat as a sufficient source of power for us, it's basically our battle life support. Toughen up and take in the heat, the sunlight's good for you."
"Screw you, Bad Dog, we don't need crazy-heavy sunlight all the time. What we need is water and LOTS of it!" seethed Dracozolt, not liking the heat at all as he tried his best to keep up to which Houndoom scoffed in amusement and he smirked at him. "You-!"
"Mama! Are we there yet?" groaned Nebby, wanting to leave the desert and find Delosky and Parosea's sister faster.
"Not yet, Nebby, we get there when we get there!" Sarah sighed again, having had to answer a trivial question for the umpteenth time.
"Nebby, please don't go there. And, neither should you, Nebula, if you both get any ideas; it was funny the first time since you picked that up directly from that Universal Studios-Simpsons Ride commercial but now, it's becoming all the more grating the more you ask that," Umbreon warned, giving him and Nebula a gentle stink eye amid his warning glare.
"Sorry," they whimpered sheepishly.
"Not that I'm complaining or anything, Princess, but how big did your friend make this desert for Level 8?" quizzed Terrakion, turning to Sarah as they all continued to walk down the desert.
"And, how would we know if Naroseal even lives here, anyway?" Cranidos added, not seeing Delosky and Parosea's sister anywhere as of now.
"No idea but it's still hot as far as I can tell," Sarah panted, wiping off sweat from her brow.
"Let's hope she didn't make it too big for her own good, really. We're roasting in this giant sandy oven and we'll be like grilled fish without even getting close to the end of this level."
"Ugh, and it better not be a moment too soon. I'm not sure how much more of this heat I can take," Nikki and James groaned, fanning themselves.
"In all my years, even I have never been subjected to such heat in such a short time," Tsukumaro added, continuing to bear the heat as best he can despite reaching his limit.
"On the bright side, we're lucky we haven't seen anything in this desert that's out to get us," Race reassured, wiping away any sweat coming from his forehead. "Although, we'll never know given how unpredictable Ming Wu made the game and what she was thinking while designing it."
"Let's hope our luck doesn't run out and we reach the last levels in time let alone retrieve the Fire capsule if Jin and Teng show up," Sarah prayed in response.
But alas, even though the heroes hoped that things would start going their way again for the final legs of the game, they had no idea that their time in the remaining three levels would be just as hectic, if not, more so than what they've been through during their time in the game. As soon as Sarah shared her two cents, everybody felt the temperature in the desert suddenly starting to drop even though it was still daytime.
"Uh, guys? Is it just me or does it seem to be getting cooler and cooler around here?" asked Sonic, starting to feel uneasy.
"Yeah, how is that?"
"Something wrong, very wrong-Nya," Eevee piped up from Salamence's back along with Skitty.
"Okay, NOT our place with how freezing it is now!" shivered Totem Marowak, lighting up his bone.
"What did Ming Wu do with this place? It's now too cold to be a desert!" Flareon squeaked, shaking as she started to feel cold despite her body temperature remaining warm from her internal fire sack in her body.
"You and Marowak both have internal fire sacks in your bodies as with all Fire Types, why should we Fire Pokemon be feeling cold right now?" Entei remarked, raising an incredulous eyebrow.
"Delosky, Parosea! Mind giving us an update on why this level's starting to become a sandy tundra?!" shouted Race to the Sky Spirit and South Spirit Pokemon sisters, rubbing his arms to try and keep himself warm.
"Oh, we know why this is possible! That means Big Sis Naroseal is nearby!" cheered Delosky, doing flips in the air as she hollered.
"A word of warning about our sister and how you can tell we're near her: the temperature always drops and anybody finding our sister will find themselves in a cold spell the closer they are to finding her. But, I suppose you already know that by now," added an optimistic Parosea.
Then, just as soon as the eldest Legendary Sister finished speaking, a loud neigh was heard coupled with the sound of galloping hooves which got her and Delosky perking with excitement. The two of them knew where the neigh and the galloping came from and everyone else knew that it couldn't have been from them nor Ponyta, Mudsdale, or Rapidash.
"Oh, speak of the devil!" Parosea chuckled.
"BIG SIS IS HERE!" hollered Delosky as their middle sister finally appeared and revealed herself amidst her own cold wind.
Unlike Parosea and Delosky, their second sister and the middle child between them, Naxoreal, is more of a Ponyta-sized unicorn with an aquamarine body and some diamond-shaped markings decorating her upper hind legs. Her mane and tail were a mixture of lime-green and yellow shading and seen squarely on her chest was a symbol resembling a white sword and her legs were white, being topped off with golden hooves. She was most surprised to see her sisters together, even more so when she took note of their new friends and when her and Parosea's youngest sister came to greet her.
"BIG SIS!" the Sky Spirit Pokemon cheered again, galloping to her sister and ramming into her as she gave her a loving nuzzle.
Naxoreal had to laugh as she returned the nuzzle as well as Parosea's when she joined them, "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Hello, Delosky, this is a surprise! You too, Parosea, I didn't expect you both to see me again so soon! What brings you my way again from Level 6 and Level 7?"
She looked back to Sarah and her family currently with her as she raised an eyebrow at both of them, "What's with the bobsi patrol, are you both trying to earn extra game money by babysitting behind my back or something?"
"They're our friends, Big Sis! We're helping them through the desert on their way to Level 10 including Level 9 after your home," Delosky continued.
"Apparently, they've been zapped into Cyberspace by some kind of band of thieves known as the Black Dragons and now, they're playing the game to try and get out of here," continued Parosea, looking between Sarah's family and her sisters. "They met us going through Levels 6 and 7 and there have been a few scrapes like an ugly Chimera, those surfing raptors back home, and whatever it is we're about to meet here on your level."
"And, it was scorching hot until you arrived. But now, since you decided to show up, it was now freezing like a desert tundra!" Silvally barked, shivering from the cold.
"Why does it feel like we're in Antarctica or Alaska or even Mt. Fuji in Japan even though we're in a desert now that you're here?" added Tou-Tou, wanting to warm up as he huddled close to his brother.
"You're freezing, in the middle of a desert-OH! You mean my ability to make it cold around here and block out the sun's heat!" gasped Naxoreal in realization before she gestured to her horn on her head.
"Easy, that's my signature power and it all stems from my horn. Unlike the horns of other unicorns including the ones living here in Cyberspace and those two colorful babes with you, my horn is unique as cold as the peak of Mt. Everest or the deepest bowels of any ocean in the real world - Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, you name it, you'll feel a chill in the air and not the eerie kind, mind you. Whenever I decide to take a nighttime run, a trail of light can be seen in the sky as far as the eye can see and there would be a sudden drop in the temperature which is why you're all freezing apart from my sisters and a few others in your possie right now. The light from my horn during my nightly runs would be what you humans would call an Aurora Borealis, am I right? Can't be helped, that's how I was designed."
"I knew it, she and her sisters belong to Ming Wu since she created them," Goodra barked knowingly.
"That's definitely the case, Goodra," remarked Latios as he nodded.
"Oh, brother..."
"Pfft, can't be helped, my scales and arse. Please," grumbled Silvally and Eternatus to themselves.
Before anybody within earshot could give either of them an earful, their conversation with the last of the Legendary Pokemon before them was cut short when everyone took notice of a shadow flying over them, followed by the sound of an eagle screeching.
Everybody looked around for the source of the shadow and the screech until they saw what looked to be a griffon-like Pokemon (which Ming Wu had also created for the game) that was about Gallus' size and his body and part of its head being chocolate brown with the fur around its eyes being more of a lighter shade of brown by contrast. The underbelly and wings of the new Pokemon were a pure snowy white and the wings had yellow tips on them. Its shoulders had full yellow swirl patterns and its paws bore the same yellow coloring with silver-white retractable claws for talons and its tail matched its chocolate brown body color but the tail feathers were more of a sleek shade of grey.
The new Pokemon flew up to the group and the Legendary Sisters and glared down at them, not pleased for some reason as it looked through the group.
"...This is new," gulped Sarah, feeling a little small under its glare.
"That is definitely not Gallus or one of his griffons by the looks of it," Race nodded.
"Hey, pal, who invited you?!" Eternatus barked suspiciously at the glaring griffon-like Pokemon.
"My name is Gryphicent and I'm known to one and all in Cyberspace as the Majestic Wing Pokemon," the newcomer, Gryphicent (voice reference: Shadi (Yu-Gi-Oh - Duel Monsters) ft. Wayne Grayson), announced as he maintained his glare and landed in front of the group before him. "I am the master and guardian of Level 8 known as Desert Tundra and you are all trespassing."
"Trespassing?!" gasped Rapidash's children in shock.
"We had no idea this was your home, we didn't do anything wrong!"
"Sir, please, this is just a misunderstanding! We don't mean you any harm," Latias and Latios reasoned.
"Listen, pal, we don't have time to deal with you. We're on a time limit ever since we got here yesterday and you better not give us any trouble while we're here," Silvally remarked darkly, not wanting to deal with the Majestic Wing Pokemon.
Gryphicent heard the Eon Siblings and looked to them but his attention turned to Silvally when he spoke although, when he looked the older Synthetic Pokemon all over, he scoffed amusingly as if he was finding him funny as a sort of freak show given how much of a Pokemon Frankenstein he is in his eyes.
"Hmph, and what are you supposed to be? I don't remember your kind being around these parts," he commented to the Normal Type. "You seem to be like a Pokemon jigsaw given your jumbled assortment of animal body parts."
"I'm Silvally and you're speaking to the son of my mother who's standing in front of you," Silvally spat back, already hating Gryphicent looking down on him.
But, before a brawl could break out and tensions could blossom from it as a result, they were all interrupted by the returning sound of the Jumanji drums which caused everyone, even Gryphicent, to look around for the source of it. Sarah's party and the Legendary Sisters knew that the drums meant trouble was not too far away from them although the Majestic Wing Pokemon seemed the most on edge as he tensed up and wheeled around swiftly as he gasped, trying to find the disturbance the Jumanji drums were alluding to.
"Oh, come on, Arceus-damnit! What is it with those stupid drums?!"
"I think there's another threat coming and it's definitely not coming from that new Pokemon!" Nysai said, looking around sharply.
"That means it's another boss!" replied Sarah, preparing herself.
"W-Where's it c-c-coming from?" asked Uxie.
"I can't see anything!"
"Whatever it is, it's burrowed under the sand!"
"Wherever it is, everybody, remain vigilant! You'll never know what could attack us from below!" Stufful, Houndoom, and Azelf bantered and warned as they looked around their current area.
While everyone was busy looking around and are keeping their eyes and ears open for anything that could present itself as trouble, they had no idea that something was slowly poking out of the sand and snaking its way to Sarah. The princess wasn't aware of the thing as it quietly wrapped itself around her waist before, with a sudden hard yank, it started pulling her down.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
"SARAH/SARAH/SARAH!" cried everyone gathered sans a shocked Gryphicent as he quickly hovered a few feet in the air.
"Mother!"
"Ponchita!"
"What is that?!"
"It's around her waist!"
"She's sinking!"
"Pipsqueak!"
"GUYS, HELP! AHH!" Sarah screamed, Race immediately coming to her rescue as he grabbed her and strained to pull her back up but faced resistance from whatever had a firm grip on his girl.
"Don't let go, Island Girl!" he bellowed, maintaining his grip.
"I can't hold on!"
"Whatever it is, it's directly under her!"
"What'll we do-NYA?" Leafeon and Skitty cried out in alarm.
"Form a chain, now!" bellowed Race, prompting Nikki, James, Tsukumaro, Magearna, Blitz, Curly, Bella, Robbie, Latios, Latias, Kit, Ella, Kaji, Scorch, Cinderace, Star, Nyasi, Blossom, Zeraora, and Mischief to grab on and help in pulling her out.
But, no matter how hard they pulled together as they grunted and shouted, whatever ensnared the little princess in its grip didn't want to let go and that presented a major problem for them. This also prompted the others to look around and hope that nothing would come out of the sand to ambush them. However, to add to their problems, a loud roar was heard and it sounded more draconic compared to what Faraji's group heard with the Kelpie's neigh.
Everybody didn't know what to do as they desperately prepared for an ambush from any direction and continued their efforts to pull Sarah out of the monster grip she was in but after a while, they found out what the culprit behind their latest troubles was. Emerging from the sand, head first with its body still in the desert, was a medium-sized dragon that had a long, snake-like body, a large head that had small blue eyes, a neck that housed several rows of sharp spikes, four three-clawed legs, giant wings with two sharp wing-hand claws on them, and a spiked tail that still had the princess in its grip (away from the spikes).
"What is that thing?!" shrieked Star in shock and horror.
"Oh, man! Heads up, everybody, that looks like a doozy!" Naroseal gawked as the dragon looked at them with glaring eyes and a menacing smirk.
"That's not a doozy! That's a powerful Sandbuster Dragon found only in Berk!" Tsukumaro shouted frantically, trying to maintain his grip as his shock and horror at the new dragon took over.
Then, without warning, the Sandbuster Dragon flicked its tail which caused the Pokemon that are helping the humans to be knocked back before it sunk back into the sand, dragging the five humans in their party with it. Magearna was also unfortunate to be with them as she kept a firm grip on Tsukumaro, all of them screaming as they disappeared into the sand without a trace.
"Mom!"
"PIPSQUEAK!"
"Sarah!"
"Mom, no!"
"She's gone!"
"So are her parents and Tsukumaro!"
"And Magearna, too!"
"NO! MOTHER, NO!" screamed Nyasi in shocked anguish and race, seeing his human mother and her adopted parents, godfather, and Magearna vanish.
"Daddy Tsuki!"
"Master!"
"SENSEI!"
"THEY'RE ALL GONE!"
"Oh, no!"
"DADDY!"
"FATHER!" Togepi, Absol, Natu, Silvally, Whimsicott, Bella, and Robbie exclaimed, horrified.
"Mama's gone, all of them! Even Auntie Magearna!" Nebula cried in horror.
"Oh no, I was hoping we wouldn't have to run into one of those bad boys! That Sandbuster's got his eye on them and we won't be able to do anything unless we find out where they are under the sand and save them!" Naxoreal shouted in panic.
"Not cool, not cool!" fretted Delosky.
"I don't think they're gonna crawl their way out of this one until we do something about it!" agreed a worried Parosea.
"What kind of dragon was that?! It just grabbed them and up and went back down!" Jolteon grunted in aggravation, desperate to save her family's human savior quickly. "How was it able to burrow in the sand without warning and take us completely by surprise without warning?"
"Before they and Magearna were dragged under, Young Jolteon, I could've sworn Tsukumaro said that it's a Sandbuster Dragon. Even Naroseal confirmed it," Cresselia noted.
"Wait, I got it! Uncle Tsukumaro taught Mama about the Sandbuster Dragon. He said that it's a Mystery Class dragon, known in Berk for dragging whatever prey it finds underground into its series of large cave systems," Nebby deducted before he became confused by the Sandbuster's presence. "But, why did Ms. Ming put it into the game when she put creatures from Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts into the game?"
"And, aside from Sapphira, Drogon, and Zephyr along with Delosky and her sisters, those creatures from both film series are we could find so far in the game," added Kurma.
"Anybody want to take a guess on the Black Lizards putting that beast into the game as a level boss of sorts, a mini-boss, after hacking into the game?" Kommo-o questioned, knowing how it could've been added into the game.
"I've no doubt about it but we can't think about that now! We've gotta get them and Mother back!" Nyasi declared, wanting to give the Sandbuster a piece of his mind as he clutched his paw in seething anger. "I'll make that beast sorry he ever messed with Mother and dared to hurt her AND take her by surprise like that!"
"But, how can we save them? Not all of us are Ground Types and we can't burrow into the sand to the Sandbuster! And, what if that monster knows the layout of the desert in the sand better than any of us or even Naxoreal?" Tou-Tou argued.
"Well, you all better think of something if you all value your lives above all else given the danger we're in. And, I don't plan on dying anytime soon," Gryphicent remarked to the Pokemon.
"Why did we even agree to split up on the way to Level 5 when we got our lead onto the Diricawl?" grumbled Cinderace, facepalming himself.
"At this rate, who could possibly be able to burrow under the sand and find out what happened to Sarah and her parents and godfather along with Magearna before Jin and Teng get the drop on us again?" Mudsdale pondered worriedly.
Then, Flygon had an idea as he suddenly remembered that along with being a Ground Type, his kind had one particular trump card about them.
"Maybe, I can help! My kind, after evolving from a Trapinch and a Vibrava, can easily burrow understand just as the Sandbuster could!" he replied, getting the group and his family's attention. "If I can dig deep into its cave system, I can look for them and Magearna and bring them back out just as quickly."
"Son, you're a genius! You and your kind were made for such treacherous terrain such as this so it won't be a problem for you to find them!" Hydreigon gasped in amazement before he gave a trio of bright smiles and approving nods from his heads.
"I don't see why you can't do that," smiled Draco in agreement.
"Wait a minute! Brother, are you sure you'll be ok?" quizzed Snowflake, worried for her brother.
Flygon nodded determined, "Absolutely, you guys keep an eye out for danger should Jin and Teng show up again. I'm much stronger than I was back then as my pre-evolved forms, I'll find them and be back in a flash."
Snowflake was still worried but she nodded as she and Flygon shared a quick sibling nuzzle.
With his family's blessings and despite his little sister's worries for him, Flygon saluted everybody before he quickly burrowed into the sand with Dig, hoping to find Sarah, her parents, her godfather, and Magearna before the Sandbuster could give them trouble. With the Mythical Pokemon setting off on his mission to find them, the others, his sister, and his parents were left on their own devices to keep an eye out for trouble including Jin and Teng (should they get the drop on them after catching up and add to their current problems with the Sandbuster).
"Now, what?" Goodra asked, looking to everyone.
"We have nothing better to do right now other than watch out for the Sandbuster should it get us later on," replied Umbreon. "Although, those velociraptors helped us give the Black Dragons a run for their money chasing us through Level 7."
"All thanks to me and my tidal waves!" sniggered Parosea while Delosky laughed. "And, you didn't try to sink them while you were having your tsunami frenzy, Sister?" smirked Naroseal, making her and Delosky's eldest sister blush and fluster as she tried to make a comeback.
"Okay, so while our resident Desert Dragon is out and about on the sand looking for Mother, what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Silvally questioned, asking the one thing that's now on everyone's minds.
"We've gotten far into Level 8, especially given that hectic chase those raptors had given us back at Level 7 so we won't worry about the Black Dragons for a while now. And, as Umbreon noted, they helped us escape from them so we've got some distance between us and them," Suicune recalled, knowing that they're safe, for now.
"And, Big Bro's looking for Auntie Sarah," Snowflake added.
"I just hope he's not doing anything crazy while looking for her," put in Bella with Curly giving an agreeing but nonetheless worried nod.
"Hopefully, it won't be too long before he does and we start again," Sonic prayed.
"Well, I'm more concerned about us finding shelter to rest up until we can be ready to tackle that Sandbuster or whatever boss level Ming Wu had intended to put there or otherwise," Nitro suggested, knowing that everyone must be tired and wanting a short break.
"I'm fairly conscious, right now, that we stand 69% of a chance making it out of the desert and reaching Level 9 with Sarah in tow should Flygon find her, her parents, Tsukumaro, and Magearna, 50-50 on us maintaining constant vigilance for Jin and Teng and their dinosaurs since we know how many times they've gotten the drop on us, and in our current state, 43% of a possible chance of us getting a game over from anything else that'll ambush us when we least expect it like those raptor grunts, Rinshi should those vile lizards reappear, whatever could pose a threat at the moment."
"But, on the plus side, if the Sandbuster's attention will be on them and Flygon and they manage to escape alive, we'll stand a 93% chance of escaping or defeating the beast and passing this level alive," added Calculator, agreeing with Nitro's theories.
"But, where could we possibly go while we wait for Master Flygon to return with the princess and her loved ones along with Lady Magearna? We're in the middle of a desert that's basically a cold tundra now on account of Ms. Naroseal's power, and we're still on the run from those insufferable ruffians, the Black Dragons," noted Calyrex, knowing that everyone's troubles are not over.
"...I know where we can go and ease up, for now," Gryphicent offered after some thinking.
"Do you?"
"You nearly tried to shish-kabob us before that stupid Sandbuster after you popped up out of nowhere and kidnapped Sarah and those with her after you nearly got into a scrap with Mr. Frankenstein minutes ago!" Jolteon retorted.
"I'm right here, thank you, Jolteon!" snorted an unamused Silvally as he glowered at the Lightning Pokemon from his current spot.
"I rest my case!"
"How do you know we can trust you after you tried to hurt us, Big Brother, and Mama, Mr. Griffon?"
"You're nothing like Mr. Gallus and his people flock when you surprised us and tried to do mean things!" Nebby and Nebula retorted suspiciously.
"Listen, I'm sorry for my previous behavior but I had no idea you all were in real danger and you needed help to escape from the game. I didn't think you all weren't actually part of it until I listened in on your conversation," the griffon apologized with a sigh. "Let me help to make it up to you and since you're in a right state after what happened to your humans... I want to help you get out of Cyberspace and back to your own world."
"...Can you do that?" Mai asked, her family looking at each other as they took in what Gryphicent said to them and getting a confirming nod from the Majestic Wing Pokemon.
"...Alright, we'll take you up on your offer. So, where do we go?" Nyasi finally replied, nodding back as everyone else nodded to him.
"Yeah, man. Where are your digs?" Parosea sniggered, her question making Gryphicent roll her eyes at her upbeat, optimistic mannerisms.
"I know of an oasis where I go to whenever I'm in need of personal inner peace and tranquility. Nobody else besides myself knows about it and it'll be perfect for you all to wait there for your human friends' return along with your little dragon and that mechanical doll. You should be safe there until he has hope of finding them in time before they could be harmed, come."
With that, Gryphicent led the rest of the princess' party in a different direction to where the oasis he was referring to was located. As the others followed him along with Delosky and her sisters (all of them reunited as they tagged along), they, especially Snowflake and her parents, could only hope that Flygon would be able to figure out why the Sandbuster was able to grab Sarah and her loved ones, Race, and Magearna and pray that he could get them out safely.
"I hope Faraji and the others are having much better luck than we are, right now," sighed Espeon as they followed Gryphicent to the oasis he told them about.
"I think it would be wise if you don't accidentally tempt fate, my daughter," soothed Umbreon as he nuzzled his Psychic Type daughter.
"But, she does have a point, Daddy. How do you think they're doing back at Level 5 with finding the Diricawl?" Flareon peeped.
"I just hope they stay alive if the Black Dragons somehow caught up to them and added to whatever problems they'll already be having with whatever's sleeping in that lake," prayed Shaymin as he rode on Spectrier's head with him and Calyrex.
With Nikki, James, Tsukumaro, Race, and Magearna, they were knocked out a little from their wild tussle with the Sandbuster as they ended up in its lair. All of them started to come to moments later as they coughed and shook the sand that got into their hair and clothes (save for Magearna since she's a mechanical yet sentient Pokemon even though some sand got into her gears). However, as they woke up and despite being dragged inside, they were surprised to find that the princess in question wasn't among them in their current location.
"Oh, great, ugh... Where the hell are we?" asked Race, groaning and looking around after they collected themselves.
"I don't know, I never expected a Sandbuster as vicious as that to appear let alone drag us down," Tsukumaro replied, dusting his sword down after bringing it out from his satchel.
"It looks like a cave of some sort but it's a far cry from the desert we were dragged from, I hope everyone else is okay," Nikki added, looking around the lair and seeing the lair's interior.
"I never imagined an actual dragon's lair being like this as in those fantasy movies you all have been introducing me to while we're on this journey and where did those chests come from?" Magearna put in, also observing the lair belonging to the Sandbuster before she took note of a large array of gold, treasure chests, anything a mythical dragon from the west can get his hands on.
"Man, what's with all of that gold? Was that Sandbuster raided a town or city somewhere in Cyberspace Ming Wu never told us about?" Race blinked in surprise, trying to take in the sight of the clutter of treasure their kidnapper hoarded.
"I highly doubt we'll find some sort of civilization anywhere for miles, Sir Konami. We've been through nearly all the levels and as far as I can tell, there has been no sign of buildings or people living in the game as its characters," Tsukumaro responded skeptically. "But, I've heard about these things when I did my research on the Sandbuster according to what you youngsters found on the internet; we're in what appears to be its cave system full of multiple caverns where they horde their stolen treasure once they find it and keep it for themselves, as do most dragons. It also served as a trap of all means it has on its talons; makes it easier for its prey to get lost before it pounces on them for its meal."
"That sandy handbag's not going let us go that easily if it follows the typical fairy tale logic of dragons kidnapping and hoarding both treasure and pretty girls," James noted, thinking about his daughter. "I think Ponchita must've fallen victim to that cliché as those princesses and other ladies of old have before then and it dragged us along in the process when we tried to save you."
"Oh, brilliant, how are we supposed to bail out of here if that sandy moron's got its tail literally wrapped around us and Island Girl?" the Hoenn Battle Frontier Champion groaned in annoyance.
"And, we can't just go through the tunnel system and hope we find a way out soon, the Sandbuster will know we escaped somehow if we run and it'll pick us off just as fast as it dragged us here," Nikki pointed out.
"All that aside, what I don't get is what those chests are doing here or how they were even programmed into the game," James announced, pointing towards the treasure chests in front of them.
"Hey, guys, I just realized we're one person short since that lizard dragged us all the way here," Race blinked again, seeing that they were missing Sarah.
"You know, Mr. Race, you're right. I was sure the princess was dragged here along with us when the Sandbuster had its eyes fixed on her after it got the drop on her, where is she? Princess, Princess!" Magearna gasped, looking around for her charge.
"Magearna?! Magearna!" shouted a familiar voice, getting their attention.
"That's the princess!" the Artificial Pokemon gasped, hurriedly rushing to her charge through a nearby tunnel to their right with the others following her.
"Island Girl!" shouted Race as they ran.
"Race! I'm in here!" Sarah called, allowing Magearna to hear her clearly and direct them to her current location.
When they finally found Sarah, James, Tsukumaro, Race, Nikki, and Magearna gasped in shock to find the princess encased in a glass cocoon that looked to have been made by the Sandbuster and sticking true to the lore involving medieval dragons and their hoarding of gold, treasure, and pretty girls.
"Island Girl!"
"Honey!"
"Ponchita!"
"Princess/Princess!" Race, Nikki, James, Tsukumaro, and Magearna cried in horror and shock.
"Mom, Dad, Race, Tsukumaro, Magearna!" Sarah shouted, trying and failing to get out of the cocoon as her loved ones quickly approached her.
"How did you get in there?"
"Are you alright?" Race and Nikki asked, approaching her prison as they examined it.
"I'm fine but I'm stuck, that Sandbuster built this stupid prison and left me trapped in here after it dumped you somewhere else in these tunnels. I tried to get out but it's just as strong as the amber from Melody and Echo. This is all my fault; if I had known we'd be in this mess and Jin and Teng would hack the game to include something like that stupid dragon, I would've had us stay in Level 5 to help Faraji and the others find the Diricawl first. Now, everybody back on the surface will have no idea what to do without us and they'll be left at the Sandbuster's mercy should it go after them along with Delosky and her sisters next."
"Don't go and beat yourself up, Island Girl. The Black Dragons planned for this from the beginning when they heard about the game somehow and made sure they'd get the gem's powers and bring back their master. If we didn't have allies like Gallus and his flock as well as Delosky and her sisters amongst many others we met along the way ever since we came into Cyberspace, they would've picked us off easily off the bat."
"And, since we left our stuff at the hotel back in the real world, we don't have the Sun Sword or the Moon Shield to bust you out of your cell," James added grimly.
"Not even the Dragon Blade could penetrate it even if we do have it with us since the glass is really thick," nodded Nikki in agreement, tapping the glass while Tsukumaro tested its durability with his sword (his weapon unable to break it). "How are we going to get you out before the Sandbuster comes back?"
"Let me try that," Magearna offered, stepping forward as she prepared her pointed hands before she used Brick Break and shattered the cocoon. "HYAH!"
The cocoon indeed shattered upon Brick Break's impact, freeing the princess from her confines as she stood back and shielded herself from the shards that went flying as a result.
"Hey, that Brick Break shattered it completely!" Race blinked in surprise over what they saw.
"Nice work, Princess Brute Force," James chuckled, giving an impressed whistle and making Magearna giggle bashfully.
"Thanks, Magearna, I thought I was going to be stuck there but I never knew how strong my parents made you when they built you for my fifth birthday," Sarah smiled, giving her Pokemon a grateful hug.
"I'm just glad you're safe again, Princess. But, now that you're out and we don't know where that horrible dragon is, what'll we do?"
"That monster will probably be back for more should he find out that you guys broke me out. I say we find our way out of this dump and figure out what to do now once we get back to the others above ground."
"But, how are we going to do that, honey? We have no idea where the Sandbuster took us and we'll still be in the desert if we do find a way out of this labyrinth," noted Nikki.
"I'm all for taking to the hills with Old Mr. Sandy at large and it'll probably have heard us busting you out of your cell so it'll be heading back from wherever it is right now to find you," James added, knowing what could happen if they don't move now.
"But, where should we start?"
"You decide, Old Man," Race stated, pointing to Tsukumaro.
"Agreed. Since we don't have much time, I think she should go... This way," the old advisor pointed, directing everyone towards a cavern leading southwest of their current location.
With no other choice and not wanting to run into the Sandbuster again while knowing that Jin and Teng are still at large, the small party of six went into the cave, hoping to find a way out and rejoin their teams and Sarah's family. The darkness of the cave proved to be tedious for the group as they traversed through the caverns the Sandbuster dug up and despite Sarah and Race casting Lumos from the Harry Potter series when they brought out their wands, they, Magearna, Nikki, James, and Tsukumaro were all still traveling blind.
"Man, even though we're using Lumos, the cave's still dark for us to see anything," Sarah griped, squinting her eyes through the darkness.
"You're right, Island Girl. I can't see within a few feet from us even with the light we have, now I know how Ash, Misty, and Brock felt when they told us they were once in pitch-black darkness," added Race, not liking the darkness one bit. "Old man, are you sure this cave's the right way for us to go?"
"This does present a huge problem for us; with how dark the cavern is, the Sandbuster has the advantage regarding the element of surprise. But, as far as I'm concerned, this is our only option," the old advisor replied.
"Well, let's hope it doesn't get the drop on us as it had last time before it dragged us down here," James prayed as they continued walking slowly.
"I hope everyone else will be alright up there," Nikki said worriedly.
"As long as we stick together and not get lost separating from each other unexpectedly, we should be alright. But, with a monster as deceptive as that Sandbuster, you never know," Magearna reassured, sticking close to her charge.
"Tell me something we don't know, Magearna-DAH! D'OH!" Sarah continued before she suddenly tripped and dropped her wand (which thankfully didn't lose its Lumos spell).
"Island Girl!"
"Are you alright, Princess?" gasped Race and Tsukumaro, the two of them, Nikki, and James looking to her as Magearna helped her up and gave her charge her wand.
"Yeah... What did I step on?" the princess replied, rubbing her head as she winced.
"Hey! You got ssssssome nerve losssing track of where you ssssstep, fool!" a voice hissed at her, several streams of fire appearing in front of them and leaving Tsukumaro no choice but to ready for battle again as he brought out his wand and ushered his goddaughter's family behind him.
"Who's there?" he demanded, pointing his wand at the flames before they revealed the source of them.
The flames subsided as the owner behind them revealed itself to be a snake-like Pokemon similar to Seviper but it had strings of fire emitting from its chest that sported a green jewel that faded to white around the edges, its tail end, and the rims of its eyes. It also stretched to about 6 ft. long and had a cream underbelly while it sported a red and black pattern on its upper body.
What was even more surprising about it was that the fiery snake-like Pokemon was joined by two other Pokemon that looked like dromedary camels but one of them was an adult while the other was much younger and was actually it child.
The adult of the two stood at about 5'00" tall in height and it was wearing a winter fleece hat and winter sheets over its two humps akin to winter clothing that can be found and worn in places like Nepal and Tibet and radiant golden-yellow eyes. It had a tan-like coloration on its upper body but its underbelly, the spot under its neck, and the underside of its mouth were all in beige and even its tail and collar were both an icy white.
Beside the larger camel-like Pokemon and possibly its parent, the child was much younger as it was a baby camel-like that was standing only at about 3'00" tall in height and had a winter fleece covering its body but its eyes were closed and its colors matched those of its parent.
"What the bloody hell...?"
"What are you?" gasped the old advisor and princess in bewilderment.
"Wait, wait, wait! Okay, time out, I'm sorry but what is this?" Race replied in disbelief, looking at the Pokemon before them. "Two camels and a snake-like scorpion that looks like it's on fire?"
"And, you're all Pokemon!"
"Who are you?" Nikki and James added in surprise and curiosity.
"Who are we, who are we? My name'sssssss Flameaconda and my friends your little girl just tripped over are my friends, Donkapa and her daughter, Donka," the new female Fire/Ghost Type Pokemon, Flameaconda, hissed back incredulously. "And, before you ask, I'm what's known as the Fire Anaconda Pokemon. But, before you get ahead of yourselves, Donkapa and Donka are both annoying Ice Types and are known as the Transport and Fleece Pokemon."
The older Transport Pokemon rolled her eyes but she gave an amused smile while Donka just bleeted happily, knowing that despite how blunt, direct, and unpleasant she sounded, Flameaconda truly cared about them.
"Ice Types/Ice Types?" echoed the hero party of six in surprise, only to shut up when Flameaconda pointed her tail at them in warning.
"I'm not finisssssssshed!" she barked, only lowering her tail when she was sure she wouldn't be interrupted again.
"Yesssssss, you heard right, all of you. They're both Ice Typesssssss and Normal Typessssssss but let me assure you, they're much more formidable than they look at first glance. Now, I have no idea what you're all doing here or how you got into thissssssss maze of tunnelssssssss but I have a feeling you're up to no good. Tell usssss, foolisssssh mortalssssss, why are you here? How did you get into thessssssse cavesssssss?"
"Well, you see, it's a long-" Sarah began before Race cut her off as he placed an arm in front to shield his girlfriend from the suspicious Fire/Ghost Pokemon.
"Hold it! Us, really? Up to no good?! As if we're trying to cause trouble for you three? I'm sorry but we didn't have anything to do with whatever's your beef right now," Race retorted incredulously, glaring back at Flameaconda. "For your information, we were dragged here after we were targeted by a giant lizard called a Sandbuster dragon and while we tried to save Island Girl, it pulled us in and we ended up here so we're trying to escape. Does that answer your question?"
Flameaconda raised an eyebrow over Race's answer, "Oh, really?"
Sarah, not wanting to cause any tension in the air, gently brought Race back and she stepped forward to explain things to the Fire Andaconda Pokemon and the Transport and Fleece diplomatically without making enemies out of themselves.
"Yeah, that's basically it. But, if you want the full story, I'll tell you after we get out of here," Sarah offered, knowing what she has to do. "I'm sorry we were brought here by mistake but my family and I are in danger and we have to get out of here before we're toast."
That got Flameaconda thinking as she started to realize that the humans and Pokemon she was poised to attack in defense of herself and her friends were not at all malicious and they were a victim of circumstance, being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Hmm... Is that sssssssso? You humansssssss and that Pokemon don't look threatening... You really are at the wrong place at the wrong time," she observed, carefully looking at them as she slithered in a circle, surrounding them before she returned to Donkapa and Donka and turned to them. "Well, you two? What do you think, are they really a threat or not?"
Donka and Donkapa looked the heroes over as well but upon not noticing anything off about them and that they had good intentions about what they're trying to do, they turned to their fiery and slithery friend and shook their heads at her. They didn't see them as a threat, no malicious intent of sorts which was more than enough for Flameaconda to be convinced that their acquaintances can be trusted, after all.
"...Alright, we'll help you. But, jusssssst remember thisssssss," she nodded with a dark warning at hand. "Any nonsssssssensssssse out of any of you and you'll be the firssssssst to become my ssssssssupper."
"Ms. Flameaconda, please! My princess and our family would never mean you or your friends any harm, it's the truth," Magearna reassured the Fire Anaconda Pokemon.
"I know but regardlessssss, I don't expect any funny bussssssinessssss from any of you ssssssshould you try and backsssssstab us. And, I expect a full sssssssstory of how you all came to be in the game, you don't want to ssssssssee what happensssssss when anybody makesssssss me angry after pulling a fasssssst one on ussssss."
"It's a deal," Sarah replied in agreement, her parents, godfather, Race (albeit begrudgingly/reluctantly), and Magearna giving agreeing nods as well.
"...Fine, follow us," the Fire Anaconda Pokemon relented, she and her Ice/Normal Type friends leading the way as they took the heroes through the dark cavern.
Using her fire while also making use of Sarah and Race's Lumos spells, Flameaconda navigated the extended party of nine through the darkness of the cavern that the heroes hoped would lead them to the exit out of the Sandbuster's lair and into safety. They were also hoping to not cross paths with said dragon again and that help would be on the way for them no matter what. None of them knew where Flameaconda and her friends were taking them but Sarah and her loved ones, Race, and Magearna knew that they were their only hope of escaping since they needed their help and they still had to tell the truth on how and why they're in the game.
"Where do you suppose Flameaconda is taking us given she, Donkapa, and Donka know their way around the lair?" Nikki questioned curiously.
"Mom, let's drop our little Q&A for them and put it on hold for later until we're out, okay?" Sarah interrupted, cutting her off. "You know how Flameaconda is with trust and betrayal, I'd rather not make her mad since I plan on staying alive."
"I agree; with her wanting to eat us if we pull a fast one on her, she'll probably be worse than that sand-surfing lizard and I don't want to be eaten alive," added Race.
"I heard that," Flameaconda remarked with an unimpressed frown, making the heroes flinch as she gave a glance at them.
"Let's not get bogged down about our new acquaintances and admit that they're being a real help to us," Tsukumaro warned, not wanting to further anger Flameaconda as they already had. "Snakes probably have sensitive hearing and she can easily hear what we're saying even though we're behind them and her two friends."
"Hmph, I'll take that assssssss a compliment if that's what you're on about," hissed the Fire/Ghost Type again but now with a smug snort as she gave a hard glance at Sarah and Race.
The young couple gulped under her powerful stare but they held their ground and just gave cool looks with a nervous smile and an unnerved frown while nodding at her. Donkapa and Donka could see how tense things were between her and her daughter's new friends and Flameaconda and decided to speak up, knowing fully well how the latter can be with others despite having only met other Pokemon and humans for the very first time.
"I-I apologize, Flameacconda is r-r-rough around the edges for the most part but she r-really does c-c-c-care about others she sees as a f-f-friend," Donkapa (voice reference - Kallan Holley (original voice of Paw Patrol's Skye (Seasons 1-5))) began with a sympathetic smile. "S-S-She usually plays 'H-H-H-Hard Ball' with those that she sees as w-w-weak and inferior t-t-to her but she's a t-t-teddy bear once you get to k-k-k-k-know her better."
"Don't get sssssssmart, you dolt for humpsssssss! And, sssssstop calling me a teddy bear!" Flameaconda retorted, groaning in annoyance.
But, before Donpaka and Flameaconda could start an argument at hand after the latter became aggravated by Donkapa's words directed towards her, the party of nine was interrupted by what sounded like mischievous laughter ringing around them. They had reached another room where the cavern out of the Sandbuster's lair splits into two in which they have to decide which path to take or let Flameaconda decide for them although they couldn't do so now. The laughter continued as everybody looked around as it got closer and closer and was joined by the sound of scurrying feet coming from behind them.
"What...?"
"What's going on?"
"What the devil is that noise?" Nikki, James, and Tsukumaro asked, looking around cautiously.
"It's coming from behind us, fast!" shouted Race, turning to the source of the running footsteps and the laughter.
Nobody had any time to react to what was coming from behind them as they all turned to what the disturbance was and saw something of a blur whizzed past Sarah's face, unknowingly snagging something on her as she let out a startled yelp.
"Princess!" cried Magearna in surprise as the culprit revealed itself to be an Eeveelution but one that's nothing like the official eight that had been discovered.
Flameaconda gasped in shock along with Donpaka and Donka as they supposedly knew who or what it was. "You!" the Fire Anaconda Pokemon shouted, making the Eeveelution before the party giggle mischievously again.
In terms of appearances, the new Eeveelution was revealed to have clothing similar to what was worn by the Gerudo Tribe from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity complete a transparent teal mask covering its mouth, an underbelly, back legs, and front forelegs of the same color, black paws, and a single yellow ring on the bases of her upper front legs, her ankles, at the base of its red furry tail. Its body and face, on the other hand, were both dark brown and it had a red jewel amidst a golden head outline wrapping around her neck and connecting to her mask. But, its were a brilliant shade of golden-yellow. And, finally, with her ears, the base of them was brown and the last two sections were both a mix of a pink-red and yellow-striped coloration.
"Is that an Eeveelution?"
"But, it's nothing like Umbreon and his daughters!"
"By Suicune's Hydro Pump, this must be something Ms. Wu created for the game alone!" the adults gawked in shock, surprise, and disbelief.
"Man, how does Ming Wu keep coming up with this stuff? Is she really a sort of Fakemon dictionary or artist, whatever?" Race spluttered.
The Eeveelution turned to the heroes but Sarah suddenly noticed that it had three gold necklaces strung around her neck. But, her attention was towards a certain object in her mouth as she felt her neck and chest and found that they lacked a certain weight on them. She looked closer at the object the new Pokemon managed to swipe from her and gasped in horror at what it was.
"AHH! My amulet from my parents, you can't take that!" she shouted, pointing at the Gerudo-like Eeveelution.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! It's mine now, human, go buy another one at Level 10 if you got the money for it!" the Pokemon mocked with a hearty laugh before it ran down one of the tunnels (right tunnel).
"HEY! Come back here, you creep!" snapped the princess, chasing after the Pokemon that took off with her amulet and running past a shocked Flameaconda, Donpaka, and Donka.
"What are you doing?!" Flameaconda bellowed in complete bewilderment and shock.
"Ponchita, wait! We have to stick together if we're to get out of here!" called James as Sarah disappeared.
"Oh, boy, here we go again... Come on!" sighed Race, all of them deciding to run after the pair as they gave chase.
Speaking of Sarah and the Eeveelution, the pair in question were still going at each other with the princess catching up to the thief that took her personal heirloom from her birth parents. She knew it was one of their only leads to finding and bringing them back them and should it be gone, she and the others will never know where her birth parents could be in the real world.
"YOU LITTLE FIEND, GIVE ME BACK MY AMULET!" screamed Sarah furiously, finally keeping pace with the mischievous Eeveelution as it sniggered at her.
"It's mine! If you want it, you'll have to catch me!" it taunted at her, speeding up and running ahead of her.
"I'm not leaving without that amulet and I'm gonna get it back no matter what!" Sarah snapped again, continuing to chase the Eeveelution as it laughed again.
Minutes forward, the Eeveelution continued to laugh as if it had managed to escape from the little princess and she had the amulet to itself along with the other necklaces strung around her neck. But, the Pokemon's celebration was premature as something came at it and tackled it to the ground, making her let go of it as Sarah managed to take it back and see who was responsible for helping her. She was greatly surprised to see that the culprit that stopped the new Pokemon dead in its tracks as it squirmed under its grasp was none other than Flygon.
"Flygon!" she gasped.
"Didn't your mother teach you that stealing's bad news and you can go to prison for Grand Theft Royal?" he scoffed at the Pokemon.
"Urgh! Hey, let me go! I saw it first! If it's highly prized treasure your human has on her or if any Pokemon here finds any loot, then I have a right to take what is mine!" protested the Pokemon while whining and complaining bitterly, continuing to squirm and resist his grasp. "And, I'm telling you, that thing is MINE, MINE, MINE!"
"Do you have any idea how personal and valuable that amulet really is to my human aunt? Sure, it's worth a lot of money on the surface but it's a treasure that belongs to no one but the princess in my family's island home and nobody's going to sully it in any way possible. Coincidence as to it being a hot thief's bargain for grand theft and a personal heirloom to my aunt, I think NOT!"
While Flygon and Sarah were reunited and the former managed to catch the Eeveelution before it could make off with the amulet, Race, Tsukumaro, Nikki, James, Flameaconda, Donka, and Donpaka finally caught up with the princess. They were also bewildered and surprised to see the fully-grown/fully-evolved Mythical Pokemon having managed to find the heroes he was looking for and capture the thief that took his human aunt's amulet.
"It's Flygon!"
"Flygon?!"
"You're here, Flygon!"
"How did you find us?!" Race, Tsukumaro, Nikki, and James gawked in shock.
"You know him?" Flameaconda asked, seeing Flygon pinning the new Eeveelution down.
"Wait, are you packing it in, already?" asked Donpanka, turning to Nikki and James who were both out of breath from running.
"Don't ask."
"Not telling," they retorted with a frown, not wanting to give her or Flameaconda the satisfaction of chuckling or laughing at their misfortune.
"Okay, Flygon, what's going on? Not that I'm ungrateful to you for coming to our rescue but how did you get down here?" Sarah quizzed curiously, coming up to her Ground/Dragon Type.
"Hello! Don't you remember, Aunt Sarah?" Flygon remarked as he kept holding the new Pokemon down.
"I was the only one amongst our family besides that crazy Sandbuster that can burrow under the sand, my species tend to live in a desert, you know. We were worried about you guys after we failed to save you from that monster so I volunteered to find you and bring you back. I was worried I wouldn't find you in this stupid labyrinth although you made it easier for me when you and this little thief were screaming about and running so I traced both your voices and you running away to here. I have no idea what your little spunk-head is doing here but I think she just made a big mistake going for your amulet, wasn't expecting to run into you again like this, really."
"Ugh! What do you expect, I'm a Thief Pokemon! I'm no ordinary thief, the name is Gerudeon," the new Pokemon, Gerudeon, exclaimed. "Now, can you please let me up before you suffocate me to death?"
Flygon eyed Gerudeon suspiciously, not wanting her to turn to whatever tricks she has up her sleeve if she's thinking of escaping somehow. But, after several minutes of waiting and eye contact, the Mythical Pokemon, slowly but carefully, released her as she shook and brushed herself off.
"I didn't think it'd be you who was behind that mortal going after you to get her necklace back after you stole it, Gerudeon," snorted Flameaconda, unimpressed.
"Thief Pokemon, are you really a thief, seriously?" Race asked Gerudeon.
Gerudeon nodded as she giggled with a cheeky smile on her face, "All my life, I've made a living surviving in this crazy desert and stealing anything valuable most things are compared to your team and your friends on the surface. Most of the time, after stealing whatever valuables I've been getting, it's usually treasure I find would be a fancy-schmancy necklace and wear them for my own pleasure."
"Then, those necklaces on you prior to that chase; I assume you've been digging around the Sandbuster's treasure cavern, right?" Tsukumaro replied.
"You bet, finders keepers! He-he-he-he-he!"
"Oh, come on! Really, Gerudeon? Stealing is wrong even though you had no choice and you know that! You're going to have a lot of hell thrown your way with what you've done!" grumbled Sarah in disbelief.
"Hmph! Well, excuse me, if it's the only life I've ever known and I've managed to survive for so long by stealing from others! Stealing is what I do best and you're not going to make me change my mind! Where's the fun in buying your stuff easily if you don't have fun?" the Thief Pokemon scoffed at the princess, turning away with a huff. "You wouldn't have it easy as me if you have to turn up at the scene of the disaster that was impending doom some people and Pokemon feel inclined to stop and without my help and I get nothing in return for helping them."
Sarah went silent as she realized that Gerudeon had a point; since she had been in a desert for much of her life even though she was created by Ming Wu for the game, she had no contact with other beings besides whoever was in the desert and she never ventured out of her home once. It would make sense that she would know absolutely nothing about what's right and wrong amongst many things and have no idea that stealing isn't everything in life.
She sighed as she then said, "...Look, I wouldn't say nothing, really. I'm sorry you feel that way and I really have no right to tell you how to live your life but there's more to life for you than just stealing."
"Oh, yeah? Why would you care?"
"...Just, hear me out, would ya? Where I'm from, as a princess, some people would want to expect me to take whatever I want by force but I don't sink so low as most people do. Others can look for what they can take even to make ends meet but in my case, a true ruler of anything and anyone would actually search for what he or she can give back to the people. I don't know how you've been living ever since Ming Wu created you so it's not my place to tell you otherwise and I'm sorry but if you want to know how my family and I live, I can show you if you like..."
Gerudeon just glared back suspiciously at Sarah, not knowing what she was playing at in her mind. "What is it you're saying?"
"Simple; I can show you a better life, a life you can live for yourself without being a thief yourself. I promise, no tricks; just the promise of showing you a happier life that involves you no longer stealing what you need to survive. I can help you, that is if you want me to..."
Gerudeon thought for a moment as she started to come to grips with what Sarah had told and offered her; was there really a life worth living that doesn't involve her having to steal what she needed in order to survive and take what she felt was hers? Did the human girl from the real world in front of her really mean what she said about showing her what that new life under her wing for her would be like?
"Well, Gerudeon?" quipped Flameaconda impatiently.
"Shut up, you slithering fireball, I'm thinking," rebutted the Thief Pokemon before she eventually looked back to Sarah and just gave a relenting nod. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. But, first..."
She looked around to see if there was anybody else eavesdropping on them before she ushered the party before her to follow on behind. The heroes, Flameaconda, Donpaka, and Donka looked at each other they decided to follow her down another tunnel to a location only she knew of. When they finally arrived at the location she was leading them to, they found themselves in a medium-sized treasure chamber filled to the brim with gold and treasure chests which left the heroes speechless.
"Amazing! Look at all this treasure, this must be enough to fill your family's entire vault in addition to your spoils, Princess!" gasped Magearna in stunned awe.
"Man, this place has got more spoils than the Yiga Clan Hideout when Ponchita and her Pokemon and dragons were recently playing Age of Calamity back home," James remarked, giving an impressed whistle as he, Nikki, and Tsukumaro looked over everything Gerudeon had in her chamber.
"You won't find this anywhere in the rest of Cyberspace except for here," nodded Gerudeon, feeling proud of the treasure she has on her. "This is where I stash all my loot after winning it as my own. Even if anybody should try to touch it, they'll have to get through me to do so."
She then turned to Sarah as if she knew what she wanted to ask her and smirked, "Hey, get this, this bundle here with us... I've beaten out that dude known as the Sandbuster after I swiped the best bits under that hoarder's nose."
Sarah blinked in surprise but Flameaconda, Donkapa, and Donka gasped in shock at the Thief Pokemon when they heard her. "Y-You d-d-d-didn't!" gawked the older Transport Pokemon, wheeling to the Hyrulean Eeveelution.
"Don't tell me you snagged it all from that monster, the Sandbuster never lets go of its wealth the moment it lays its claws on it no matter how hard anybody would try to take it for themselves!" Flameaconda spat in disbelief and shock.
Gerudeon sniggered at the Fire Anaconda Pokemon as she went to a gold chest and pushed it to Sarah as she spoke, "I have my ways; when you spend your life becoming a Master Thief like me, you tend to learn a few things to outwit even the most brutal and pea-brained morons like that sand shark with wings. When you rob from a Master Criminal, you know that you're a Master Thief. Here, this is what I want to show you."
"What is it?" Sarah asked, approaching the chest and examining it.
"My gift to you, open it. What are you waiting for, a written invitation for Christmas?"
Sarah raised an eyebrow at Gerudeon but she nodded nonetheless since she knew she had nothing left to lose so, proceeding with caution, she opened the chest but all she found in it were six Pokeballs: five Premier Balls and a single Dive Ball.
"Are those Pokeballs?" she blinked, taking the balls out.
"Yep, your friend/my creator made these for the game but we'll see what she thinks once she sees them in action and how you bounce off of them," Gerudeon smiled as the rest of Sarah's party joined her and saw the balls.
"No way, Ming Wu created more Pokemon in those balls?"
"How in the name of the great Arceus did she do that?"
"Incredible!"
"Talk about a Secret Santa - Pokemon Style."
"What's in them, Princess?" Race, Tsukumaro, Nikki, James, and Magearna responded in surprise, awe, and amazement at the balls.
"I don't know," she replied before looking back to Gerudeon. "What exactly did you steal from the Sandbuster when you collected all this, Gerudeon?"
"It's a surprise! Go ahead, open them!"
Deciding to take Gerudeon's word for it, Sarah threw the Pokeballs up and opened them to release whatever was inside of them. What came out of the balls was something of a shock to the heroes and even Flameaconda, Donpaka, Donka couldn't help but gawk in awe as their eyes bugged out and their jaws dropped.
- The first Pokemon in one of the Premier Balls was revealed to be a "Dragon-Horse" (the winged horse of Chinese mythology) standing at nearly 7'00" in height and had a snow-white body and wings complete with black hooves. A halter looked as though to decorate its face but it didn't sport any reigns and had a golden-yellow coloration but the tip of the halter was green around its snout, the rings on the hair-like "reigns" stretching to the base of its tail from its mane and separating its legs from its hooves also sporting the same color. As for the ring around the base of its neck, it was also sporting the same golden-yellow coloration as was the majority of the halter but had two swirls connected to it as well as a larger ring around its midsection that was hidden away by its wings.
- By its side, there was a second Pokemon that looked exactly like the first and had the same features but instead of being a snowy white, its coat is actually a plum-like purple.
- The third Pokemon before the heroes and their acquaintances was a third horse-like figure but only 1 ft. shorter as it stood about 6'00" in height, a chocolate-brown body underneath a series of red scales that looked like dragon armor that covered much of it safe for its hindlegs and kneecaps. Beige fur that made up its mane stemmed the entire length of the rim of its body up to the tip of the tail and that same fur was dotted on its chest and cheeks while two slivers of it made up the Pokemon's eyebrows. The creature's legs bore long hair covering its hooves and showing only the bottom of them, similar to how they looked on a Clydesdale horse, and its scaly head was topped off by a thin pair of horns that looked to be covered in brown scales that faded to beige on the tips.
- The fourth Pokemon standing beside it was the same Pokemon but instead of being red and brown on its body and scales, the scales were more in a white and beige coloration while its body was predominately black despite the horns being the same fading coloration. What's more, where there was once beige fur on the original Pokemon, the fur on it was red in a 180-degree coloration turn. The colors on the fourth Pokemon were completely reversed from those of its original counterpart.
Either way, the two horses looked more intimidating as they appeared to be more like the Chinese Kirin and they had a burly disposition about them that could eclipse that of Totem Marowak's as their gold and grey eyes looked down upon the heroes after they caught sight of them.
- The fifth Pokemon joining them from its Premier Ball was the most beautiful of them all as it floated before them, looking to be at about 6'00" at its full height but it resembled something more akin to a serpent with its glowing aquamarine body and having snowy-white feathers on its chest and back and the tail sported not just white feathers but a navy blue jewel. The feathers that covered the gem on its tail also made up the scales that snaked across its body but it also had a few more "wings" that were a silver-blue color scheme but they were unique as they went around its head and neck, looking more like a scarf that was part of its body. As for its face, it was what looked like a series of five crystal crests dotting her forehead (perched in front of a blue crystal behind it) and both sides of her face but its horns looked to be made out of coral amidst some snowy-white fur tucked away at the back of its head.
- As for the sixth and final Pokemon (residing in its Dive Ball), it was revealed to be another Urshifu similar to Ching Wan's Single Strike Style Form and Hashimoto's eventual evolution to the Rapid Strike Style Form. However, this Urshifu was nothing like the Wushu Brothers' evolutions as it had its black and white headband-like ribbons flowing off to the right side and it had both the laid back left palm and clenched right fist of both the Single Strike and Rapid Strike Urshifu.
Sarah blinked in shock at the new Urshifu as she tried to wrap her head around it as it relaxed its stance and looked down upon her, Race, and Magearna as they gazed back at it.
"Another Urshifu!"
"*It's just like Mr. Hahsimoto and Mr. Ching Wan!*"
"But, what kind of Kung Fu style does it use?" the trio questioned in awe and fascination.
"Oh, they're all so beautiful...!"
"Well now, blow me down five hundred miles and back, these bad boys aren't looking too shabby."
"Fascinating, absolutely fascinating!" Nikki, James, and Tsukumaro gasped in surprise and amazement.
"Wow, I didn't know these guys were in that chest! I never bothered to actually think what was inside those balls!" Gerudeon added in surprise.
"You've never opened that chest and the balls inside it after you stole them and the rest of the loot you have from the Sandbuster?" Flameaconda quipped, raising an eyebrow at her.
"And, w-we didn't know th-t-t-that there would be P-P-Pokemon like us?" Donpaka added in bewilderment, her daughter nodding in agreement.
"Hey, don't look at me! That sand shark had a ton of booty on him and his loss with that chest and these guys inside it, my gain and their gain! He was hoarding them like the rest of his treasure and to be perfectly honest, I think he had 'em for long enough!"
"I wonder what kind of Pokemon they're all are," pondered Magearna.
"You think Ming Wu would have a clue as to the Pokemon she probably made out of thin air?" Race suggested.
"I think so, she did create Delosky and her sisters and she did the same with Gerudeon, Flameaconda, Donpaka, and Donka so maybe she's had a hand with them and we never knew," Sarah nodded, deciding to call Ming Wu once again and inquire about the new Pokemon before them as she activated her Wrist Com.
"Hey, guys. How are things with you in the game, I see you finally made it to Level 8. That's good," Ming Wu said before she noticed that only the heroes before her and the others are nowhere to be seen. "Hmm, I suppose you and your family must've split up the way to Level 5, right? And, if I have to guess, one-half of your group is going to find the Diricawl while the rest of you clear the game up to the final level."
"Yeah. But, we were dragged into a labyrinth of caves by a Sandbuster dragon the Black Dragons had hacked into the game or you created moments ago and now we're trying to get out and rendezvous with Island Girl's family and the rest of our Pokemon up top," Race replied bluntly.
"Apart from that, would you mind cluing us in on these Pokemon before us? You know, the five next to that new Urshifu?" Sarah interjected, turning her Wrist Com and showing Ming Wu the new Pokemon besides the new Urshifu.
"Oh yes, you finally found them! Well, they're more Pokemon that I've specifically designed for the game. Actually, the Pokemon that I designed came from a few brainstorming sessions I've done with my friends that were responsible for creating it with me," the Pai Zhuq video game designer smiled as she first turned to the four equine-like and Kirin-like Pokemon.
"Granted, while we came up with them, I was the one responsible for putting them through the creator's block and bringing them to life as you see here. The first two before you are actually called Reliquine; the white one is the original and the Shiny is distinguished by its plum-purple coating, they're both based on the loyal steed belonging to Journey To The West's Tang Sanzang, the White Dragon Horse, the winged horses of Chinese mythology. The next two are known as Burstallion; the first is predominately red with beige fur and the Shiny has its colors in reverse. They're based on the Dragon Horse or a Kirin and the creature belonging to the Chinese Warlord named Lu Bu, the Red Hare Horse, along with Journey To The West's White Dragon Horse. In addition, the Bustallions' lore and role correspond to the Chinese hero known as Fuxi, who was responsible for inventing hunting and one of the Three Sovereigns."
She then turned to the serpent-like Pokemon as she continued, "Naguara is a tribute to Chinese mythology's Dragon King and the sea serpent. Her lore and role instead correspond to the Chinese goddess that mended the heavens, Nuwa."
Finally, she turned her attention to the new Urshifu as she finished with, "As for that Urshifu, he's like Ching Wan and he's what Hashimoto will eventually become but instead of knowing the Single Strike or Rapid Strike styles, it knows what is known as the Dual Strike style. When Hashimoto told me that his and his brother's fighting styles are based on the Seven Star Mantis, the Crane, the Tiger, and the Leopard, I took the liberty of creating this one by combining both Urshifu forms and inspiring its attacks based on Tai Chi and Qigong."
As Ming Wu continued to explain, the new Urshifu nodded in confirmation as it stepped forward to demonstrate its fighting style with everyone else giving him a wide berth as he showed off his unique fighting style. The custom-made Wushu Pokemon performed a kata that showed a series of kicks and punches as well as flips and jumps that emphasize Tai Chi's practical fighting prowess for self-defense and Qigong's dynamic and meditative practice. The kata he was performing, in particular, contains moves from Xingyi, Taiji Chuan, and Baguazhang.
"I've done a bit of digging and poured through each and every source of info I could find on this Pokemon and from what I now know, back in the real world/our world, this was the original form of Urshifu born from a Kubfu that once traveled to a faraway region from Galar to train in the mountains there until it'll eventually split into the Rapid Strike and Single Strike style Urshifu we know today. Unfortunately, I've no idea how he was able to split into the two Urshifu we know nowadays but what I do know is that when a Lucario traveled to its new regional home many years ago, it was said to be his main pupil in teaching it Aura Sphere by teaching it how to harness its Aura or 'Qi' as the people of the region called it and concentrating it into a physical ball of energy."
"Oh, so that's why Lucario today including my Lucario and Star had become so proficient in that Fighting Type attack!" gasped Nikki in realization.
"Incredible, an Urshifu from ages past was the first-ever Pokemon to learn and use Aura Sphere and passed it down to a Lucario that once came to its new home region when it first traveled there," Tsukumaro buzzed in fascination.
"Okay, that I did NOT see coming," blinked Race in surprise as the Urshifu finished its kata and stood at ease before nodding to its new acquaintances. "Something tells me your Lucario is going to freak when she finds out the origins of her species' signature attack, Island Girl."
"I'm more worried about how Hashimoto and Ching Wan would react when they find out that this Pokemon is actually their species' ancestor," Sarah replied.
"Anything else, Ming?" quizzed James.
"Yeah; given their Pokemon Types, the Reliquine are purely Flying Types but Urshifu, the Burstallion, and Naguara are not only Fire, Water, and Fighting Types but my team and I also gave them a new Type to distinguish them from the rest: Mystic."
"MYSTIC/MYSTIC?!" the heroes and Magearna spluttered in shock.
"Right; inspired by the immortal beings called 'Xian' from Chinese mythology that included a majority of China's heroes and heroines throughout its 2000+ year history. With their offensive prowess, the Mystic Types are weak to their own species as they're equal in strength but they compensate for that with their resistance to Psychic Types because of their enlightened intelligence. While discussing how to develop their defensive capabilities, my team and I agreed that they and Dragon Types should be the most effective because the Xian all feared dragons the most and they're resistant to Fire, Ice, and Ghost Types with how impervious they are to fire and ice (literally)."
"Jesus... You and your team have been grinding a lot just for this game alone," Race admitted, gulping.
"Oh, poo... And, I was hoping to really have fun with and get to know my new 'playmates'," snorted Flameaconda, rolling her eyes at what she heard from her creator.
"Thanks, Race, I'll take that as a compliment. And, another thing, as you've found their Pokeballs that I've downloaded, they're yours to give any of them to your family or friends. I actually designed them to be caught by you in the game."
"Really? Thanks a lot, Ming," smiled Sarah, much to her adoptive parents' dismay.
"Oh, no!" they groaned, James facepalming himself and Nikki sighing heavily.
"And, since you nearly have all the capsules on you and with the dinosaurs at your family's disposal, I think it's time for you to have this to help you complete the game," Ming Wu continued, typing on her computer and making two devices appear on their left wrists and the right side of their waists.
"Hey, what gives?"
"What are these things?" the young couple asked, looking at their new tools.
"These are your new Dino Bracers and Dino Gadgets; the Dino Bracers hold the stones you have on you and detect whenever and wherever Terry and Blaze may be at and appear in so they and the Black Dragons don't get the drop on you again. The Dino Gadgets will store all of the Dinosaur and Move Cards you have on you and you can split them between yourselves so you'll have them on hand if you need them."
"So, we'll have the dinosaurs we already have, their Move Cards, and their stones at hand whenever we need them and their powers... Not bad," Race mused, intrigued as he observed his Dino Bracer and Dino Gadget and his girlfriend's.
Sarah's Dino Bracer was golden-yellow and purple while his own was of a fiery-red and orange coloration, both of them having parts that looked like dino eggshells in white and dark-yellow respectively. The Bracers can be strapped to their left wrists and feature a screen that had buttons and a slot for slashing their cards on the right side.
As for their Dino Gadgets, they matched the colorations of their Dino Bracers but they were instead strapped to their belts on the right side, being more akin to a rectangular carrying case. If any Dinosaur and Move Cards are needed, they can open up the top flap and it'll reveal a deck of cards of them at their disposal.
"Nice work, Ming," Sarah smiled with an impressed nod.
"And, that's not all, I've prepared one last surprise for you two and any other players playing the game," Ming Wu continued, bringing forth two devices in the young couple's hands that are rainbow-colored and they're in the shape of the head of the Pachycephalosaurus that saved them at the end of Level 2.
"And, what would you call this?" Race inquired.
"Those are your Element Boosters, I've designed them so as to not only give your dinosaurs an Armor Mode but give your Pokemon similar protection when you activate them in battle. You'll thankfully have another safety shield on you if the Black Dragons start to give you a hard time, especially when you reach the final level after passing Level 9."
"Those new gadgets will come in handy, Princess. We'll be able to last with them until we defeat the Black Dragons and after reaching Level 10," Magearna said, realizing what Ming Wu's gifts to them for the game could mean.
"Huh/What?!" Race and Sarah spluttered in shock and surprise.
"Amazing/Phenomenal/By Jove!" Nikki, James, and Tsukumaro gasped in awe.
"Yep, given the difficulty curve this game has, no such thing as being too prepared. Not only that, but since the dinosaurs' Elements are the same as your Pokemon's Types and they can use Elemental Attacks via their special moves, I figured those tools will be of great help to you in the long run. I did design the game on mythical creatures and I've been given a lot of creative control on that front, after all. Also, to sweeten the deal for you, I've programmed the Move Cards on you for them to work with your Pokemon, too. Should be enough or more so to give you that extra power boost of sorts against Jin and Teng, really."
"Ms. Wu, thank you! Your kindness is most appreciated!" Magearna thanked, relieved and happy that they'll have more of a fighting chance against the Black Dragons as they did in the real world prior.
"Nice job, they'll never know what hit 'em," smirked Race. "Sounds like you're going score big with this game when we get out and it's eventually sold everywhere."
"Well, that's life in the world video game design, Race, and I might as well hit a home run with this one. I guess you won't be needing my help for a while until the final level so, until next time," smiled Ming Wu.
"See ya later, Ming Wu," nodded Sarah, ending the heroes' call with their new acquaintances' creator.
"Well, that's our Power-Up dilemma taken care of. I suppose when Lizard-Dee and Lizard-Dum finally come back, they and their dinos are gonna be in for a world of hurtx1000," Race remarked, examining his Dino Bracer and Dino Gadget.
"Yeah, I suppose so," nodded Sarah before she looked to the new Pokemon before her and the rest of her party.
"Well, I already have 150+ Pokemon under my belt and I don't know if I can handle anymore... So, what do you say, Race? I know this is crazy but, would you mind having the Shiny Reliquine and the Shiny Bustallion?"
"Island Girl, did you have to ask?" chuckled the Battle Frontier Champion as he kissed her forehead. "I'll gladly watch over them for you just as I had with Tou-Tou."
Their agreement was mutual as the normal-colored and Shiny Pokemon in question went over to their new owners (the normal Reliquine and Bustallion joining Sarah and her family while Race took in their Shiny counterparts as his own), gently nuzzling their new, respective trainers after trusting them.
"Any ideas on names for them?"
"Hmm... Torch and Orpheus, that's what I'll have them be known as from this point forward."
"That's nice... I'll call mine, Polar and Freya."
"Freya...?" blinked the normal-colored female Reliquine after hearing its new name before it smiled. "...I like that."
The male Dual Strike Urshifu, however, chose his new master already as he walked over to Sarah and bowed respectfully to her. It turned out that after hearing about his fellow Urshifu and his pre-evolved form and having a feeling that they're the real deal, he wanted to get to know his descendants more and teach them all that he had learned despite being a digital clone.
"Master, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Wang Lun, I hope I can be of great service to you and my fellow Secret Armor," the Urshifu, Wang Lun (voice reference: Chow Yun Fat (Li Mu Bai) - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (English Dub)), greeted.
"The honor is mine, Wang Lun," Sarah replied, bowing back to him.
Naguara fluttered over to Nikki as she nuzzled her gently, making Sarah's adoptive mother chuckle as she stated and petted the Mystic/Water Type, "Well now, I can just picture Naguara hitting it off with Aqua as soon as we get back and she sees her."
"Why, thank you," replied the female Inundation Pokemon warmly.
"Well, I suppose you all will be a massive help in dealing with our Cyber Chase predicament upon reaching Level 9 and Level 10," smiled James with an approving nod.
"Your help will be most gratifying if I do say so myself," Tsukumaro agreed as he bowed to the new Pokemon, feeling humbled and grateful to them.
They then turned their attention to Gerudeon along with Flameaconda, Donkapa, and Donka as they wanted to know more about the other treasures she took from the Sandbuster as well.
"That's t-t-those Pokemon from the g-g-gold chest you brought out f-for our new f-friends, Gerud-d-deon," said Donkapa, facing the Thief Pokemon. "W-W-What else have you g-got for them in your t-t-t-treasure t-trove?"
Gerudeon nodded as she sighed, "Yes, a few friends of mine who helped to guard my treasure and keep an eye out for any other thieves or that sniveling lizard of sand wanting to have it for themselves or take my loot back. They're actually my adopted young..."
"AHH!"
"HUH?!"
"YOUR YOUNG?!" the heroes spluttered in bewilderment as their own jaws dropped and their eyes also bugged out.
"DID YOU JUST TELL US YOU ADOPTED YOUR OWN CHILDREN?!"
"You're actually a mother before meeting us?" Sarah and Race shrieked.
"Oh, my!" peeped a stunned Magearna.
"Like m-me with my d-d-daughter?!"
"IMPOSSSSSSSSSSIBLE!" Donkapa and Flameaconda gasped in total shock.
"Mom, you home already?" cried an unfamiliar voice.
"Mom, where are you?" added a second voice.
"Over here, dears!" Gerudeon called, allowing for two new Pokemon to appear from behind a nearby pile of treasure from the right.
The two Pokemon in question were revealed to be a pair of Luxray but they had taken the appearance of an Egyptian Sphinx instead of a lion, the first Luxray having pointed ears, a beige body with blue stripes along its back, back ankles, front legs, three before its tail tip, one on its neck, and its appendages. It also had piercing blue eyes coupled with a single azure-blue jewel atop its forehead and a similar jewel that acted like a magnifying glass on its tail tip. The second Pokemon next to it was a similar design but instead, it had the colors of an original Luxray which suggests that it's a Shiny similar to Orpheus and Torch.
"Are those Luxrays?"
"But, they look more like Sphinx despite being the same size as regular Luxrays!"
"Is that a thing for some Pokemon in this game?" James, Nikki, and Race commented.
"It looks Ms. Wu has taken inspiration from the regional variants of some Pokemon like the ones common in Galar and Alola in the real world," Tsukumaro noted, looking at the Luxrays closely.
"That does seem to be the case given how different they are completely from their original forms," Sarah nodded, noting Totem Luxray's appearance and those of Gerudeon's adopted children.
"Allow me to introduce my son and daughter, Andres and Whisker, my Alatian Luxray," Gerudeon smiled, coming to Whisker and nuzzling her gently before she went to her son and licked him while wrapping a paw around him.
"Mom, you're messing up my mane!" whined Andres before he shook himself from his mother's embrace and saw the heroes and Flameaconda along with Donkapa and Donka.
"Mom, who are they, what are they doing here? Hey, why is Ms. Hot and Wild back here? I get Donkapa and Donka since you're good friends with them but didn't she often annoy you to Arceus and back whenever you'd pass each other on your treasure hunting rounds?"
"Excuse me, I annoy her, you little pest?!" Flameaconda echoed incredulously, a tick mark appearing on her face.
Her rage, however, was soothed when Donka bleated happily, coming over to the Fire Anaconda Pokemon and started nuzzling her while she bleated. Surprisingly, she was able to calm down from this because one thing that the heroes didn't know when Ming Wu integrated onto her while she was in development for the game was that she was forbidden to fight when there are any young Pokemon or creatures within range of her including Donka.
"At ease, Andreas. These humans and that Pokemon with them are my new friends I've just made," Gerudeon explained to her confused children, turning to Sarah again. "This human before us offered to have me join her and her family and since she wanted me to come, you're coming, too."
Sarah blinked in surprise over what she heard and stuttered for a moment but she sighed as she decided to drop the subject, knowing that she can't win against a loving mother such as the Thief Pokemon with her adopted children. The princess knew that this is a battle she can't win, one that garnered amused chuckles from her family, boyfriend, and Magearna much to her chagrin as she groaned.
"So, aside from those Pokemon and all this gold, what else did you steal from that lizard? Weapons, jewels, what else did you take?" Race questioned Gerudeon.
"Weapons, yes. I know which chest is holding them," nodded the Thief Pokemon, walking to another chest and pushing towards Sarah. "Well, go on."
Sarah looked to her family, Race, and Magearna before she went to the chest and opened it to reveal a series of eight weapons, each of them coupled with a scroll attached to them.
"Never bothered to use them myself given how complex they are but I'm glad that they'll be put to good use in your hands, much better than saddling them in a makeshift museum, I'd say."
The weapons inside the chest Gerudeon had given to her new friends were an impressive sight to see, much more so as Sarah, Nikki, James, Tsukumaro, Race, and Magearna took the scrolls out and unfurled them to reveal the details about the weapons as a whole:
1. Dragon Sword - The sword had a silver blade that was 25 inches long while the bottom of the blade was green. The guard of the sword was yellow and in the shape of a dragon itself with a red jewel in it. The hilt of the sword was also green and appeared to be scales and the pommel was yellow and triangular shaped
Type: Dragon
Effect: The user swings a sword made from the scales of many dragon Pokémon.
2. Crystal Sword - The sword had a multi-coloured green, blue, purple and pink blade at 25 in length. The guard of this sword was a four pointed star with curved edges and a circular yellow and blue jewel in the center. The hilt of the sword appeared to be made from a branch which twisted around each other.
Type: Fairy
Effect: The user slashes at the enemy with a sword made of magic crystals.
3. Aura Lance - The lance looked like a traditional medieval lance with the handle being light brown and the pommel being oval-shaped, grey with yellow stripes. The metal part of the lance was lime green at the bottom but it changed to green to azure blue as it reached the tip.
Type: Light
Effect: The user wields a beam of bright light that can cut through the darkness. With its blinding light, this can cause the foe's accuracy to lower.
4. Steel Shield - The shield had a similar shape to Zamazenta's shield, only it was smaller with a metallic silver outline while the inside was half blue and half red with a black line with white dots separating the colors.
Type: Steel
Effect: The user smashes onto target with a shield made of the most durable steel imported from the Johto Region. This can also refract one hit from the opposing team back onto them.
5. Phrenic Bow - The Bow had an appearance of a Native American bow since it had yellow feathers on the ends of the bow before coming to traditional Native American colors while the majority of the bow was brown. The Arrow Shell and Rest were dark brown with yellow on the ends while the Arrow itself appeared to resemble a birds head with the tip being brown with a light blue 'eye' and yellow tip.
Type: Flying
Effect: The user strike the foe with a bow and arrow made with the feathers of multiple bird Pokémon.
6. Poison Stars - The stars resembled the same one thrown by Xena's Water Shuriken attack but these were a mixture of dark purple, blue and azure blue.
Type: Poison
Effect: The user throws poison-tipped ninja stars at the enemy Pokémon 2 to 5 times in a row. This can cause them to be poisoned.
7. Psychic Spellbook - The Spellbook was purple with the front cover having a black background, purple edges, a red jewel in the enter and Nebby and Nebula's symbols in the top right and bottom left corners, The back had the same background and edges but it had what looked to be a plant on the back.
Type: Psychic
Effect: The user casts a spell to inflict damage to the opposing Pokémon. This can also cause Confusion to the opposing Pokémon.
8. Flame Blade - The sword looked simple compared to the others with the blade being fiery red and 20 inches long. The guard of the sword was dark brown with the Grip of the Sword also being brown with the top being yellow and the pommel having a red jewel in the center.
Type: Fire
Effect: The user swings a sword with a blade made of literal fire. This can also cause Burn to the opposing Pokémon.
"Wow..."
"This is an amazing array of weaponry!"
"Princess, this could be the break we need to complete this game and get out of here!" Race, Magearna, and Tsukumaro commented in awe and amazement.
"Hmm, that Ming Wu, full of surprises."
"I never expect she'd think this ahead and knowing that the Moon Shield and the Sun Sword are left behind in the real world," James and Nikki added with a chuckle.
"Remind me to thank her for this kind of thinking later after we beat the game," the princess replied.
But, even so, Tsukumaro pouted as he felt like he still can't catch on to how people today can handle creativity in anything, "You youngins and your insane creativity, I'll never understand it for as long as I live."
Sarah just smiled as she examined the Crystal Sword, "Still, these could prove valuable to us and the others later on. I'm sure Ash and the rest of the gang will appreciate the additional arsenal and besides, we have a lot more weapons we can use against Team Eclispe and other foes like the Black Dragons, now. We just have to look around."
"Right... Whatever you ssssssssay, mortal," frowned Flameaconda, uninterested before she slithered away and decided to prepare to leave once they were ready to move on.
"Don't mind her, she's always been a buzzkill at the best and worst of times but she means well," Gerudeon snorted, shaking her head at the moody Fire Anaconda Pokemon.
"A-A-Agreed," Donkapa nodded along with Donka.
"AHA! There you are, you slippery little rats!" boomed an angry voice, causing everybody to turn and see the Sandbuster (now distinguished as male) entering Gerudeon's treasure cave which had gotten the dragon madder than ever after he was infuriated over his lost prey. "MY TREASURE! So, this is where all my most valuable loot is!"
Andres and Whisker, however, hissed at the Sandbuster, not afraid but more shocked that the evil dragon found them home and their friends, old and new, along with the treasure their mother had stolen from him.
"Nuts!"
"Holy shit!"
"It's the Sandbuster!"
"He's back!"
"Blast it!"
"How'd he get here?!" the heroes cried in shock and horror. "We've got to go!"
"Hey, not without my loot you're not!" Gerudeon pouted as the heroes and their new allies prepared to scramble out of the cave.
"Alright, alright, young lady, don't take that tone with us! Reducio!" shouted an annoyed Tsukumaro, taking out his wand as he conjured up a portable chest with an Extension Charm and stashed it with Gerudeon's entire treasure stash (including the weapons) and shrunk it so he can carry it around easily. "Let's move, now!"
"Run for it!"
"Take cover!"
"Take to the hills!" Sarah, Magearna, and Race boomed as the young couple grabbed Donkapa and her daughter while Polar and Orpheus nudged them, Nikki, James, Tsukumaro, and Magearna onto their backs.
Flameaconda yelped in shock as she was grabbed by Torch and she was galloped off along with its fellow Dragon Horse Pokemon and the Winged Beast Pokemon mates down a random cavern tunnel leading out of Gerudeon and her family's home while Naguara and Wang Lun ran and slithered after them from behind along with the Thief Pokemon, Andres, and Whisker (the small family of three being surprisingly fast despite their sizes). The chase was on as the Sandbuster hissed and went after its prey, determined not to be humiliated and outsmarted by them again. It was tough for them to get some ground away from the beast as the evil Mystery Class dragon proved to be quite agile and fast, scurrying along the walls while it hissed at them to stop.
"COME BACK HERE, YOU THIEVING BEATNIKS!" the Sandbuster screamed with fury, his eyes still trained on the heroes and their new allies/friends.
"He's still after us, faster!" cried Magearna to the Winged Beast and Dragon Horse Pokemon.
"That guy should be playing for the Dodgers given his speed and the amount of home runs he can rack up!" commented Race.
"Our new friends sure can gallop but I hope we got a strong grip on them!" replied Nikki, worried that they'll fall at the speed they're going at.
"What are we gonna do?!" asked Sarah.
"There's no point in fighting that bastard after what he did to us and with how fast he's coming at us, Princess!" Tsukumaro called back. "We have to find a way out of here before it could destroy us as the Black Dragons intended!"
"Look out!" James shouted, pointing everyone to a small icy blue blur which was actually a Pokemon that looked like a lion cub that was scared out of its wits.
"Oh, no! Hang on, little guy, Wingardium Leviosa!" Sarah cried, pulling out her wand and using the Levitation Charm to lift the cub and bring it safely in her arms. "I gotcha, hold on tight!"
The lion cub meowed as it nuzzled her chest thankfully and buried itself onto it, realizing that the ride it's having is being rocky as Polar continued to gallop through the cavern. With the Sandbuster still trailing behind them and their friends and having no clue as to where they were going (although it wouldn't matter at this point since they all want to survive), Polar, Freya, Torch, Naguara, Orpheus, Andres, Whisker, and Wang Lun eventually arrived at another cavern chamber. However, unlike with Gerudeon and her family's old home, this chamber had ice on the ground that acted as the floor and it was covered in snow, ice, and crystals.
The floor turned out to be a huge problem for Orpheus, Torch, Freya, and Polar as their hooves suddenly slid on the ice as they frantically tried to stop, their passengers screaming in surprise and fright as they held on tightly (the lion cub yeowling in horror and for help as it continued to bury itself onto Sarah's chest). This didn't seem to be an issue for Gerudeon and her children, Naguara, and Wang Lun as they held firm using their claws to grip the floor, just floated above the ice, or maintained a firm grip on the ice with good technique of foot movement.
Eventually, the heroes, Donkapa, Donka, Flameaconda, Polar, Freya, Torch, and Orpheus came to one of the snowdrifts dotted across the chamber and stopped with a crash, making the last five Pokemon wince as they stopped with ease.
"Master! Are you alright?!" gasped Wang Lun, greatly concerned as he saw the group pop their heads out of the snow but feeling dazed yet unhurt.
"Brrrrrrr, I never knew how cold snow can really be even if this is what you humans call virtual reality," shivered Magearna, emerging from the snowbank and feeling cold as the snow touched her metalwork.
"Well, we're lucky to be out of this mess alive, that's all that matters now. Hopefully, that Sandbuster will be out of our hair for the time being," Sarah reassured before a dark chuckle was heard and everyone turned to find the Sandbuster entering the cavern chamber, smirking at them.
"Did you say 'lucky', Island Girl? Look!" called Race, pointing to the Sandbuster as he stalked them again.
"Found you~" he taunted menacingly as he drew closer and closer.
Soon, the evil dragon was within range of his prey and was about to do them away as he prepared to lunge. But, before he could even make a move to attack them, he was suddenly bitten hard on the tail which caused him to do a long pained scream from the Tom & Jerry cartoon series, catching the heroes by surprise as they saw who their rescuers were.
The lion cub looked over as well and it yelped and meowed ecstatically; the culprits repsonsible for saving them were revealed to be a pair of fully-grown lions that looked to be made out of ice and snow, similar to how the new cub-like Pokemon looked in terms of appearances. The new Pokemon couple weren't alone, though, as they were soon joined by a small pride of nine females and four lions that made them into a grand pride total of fifteen lions.
The lioness-like Pokemon all resembled Nala from Disney's The Lion King (1994), standing at about 5'24" and were in an icy-blue coloration complete with a white mouth and underbelly. They also appeared to be wearing crowns made out of solid ice with their whiskers and canine teeth also made out of that same ice and their tail tips resembling the heads of some royal scepters.
The male lions, on the other hand, bore a strong resemblance to The Lion King's Simba as they stood at about 6'09", a little taller than the lionesses and sharing the same icy-blue coloration. But, they had white manes on them and several more ice crystals sticking out from under them up top and they shared the exact same canines and whiskers made from ice with their tails being a little fluffier and being in the same snowy-white coloration as their manes.
"Are those... More lion Pokemon?!"
"We got more of them that Ming Wu created? But, they're nothing like Kion, Kiara, and their pride!"
"They're all white and blue and they look like they made purely out of ice and snow!"
"Remarkable!" Nikki, James, Magearna, and Tsukumaro gawked in bewilderment and surprise.
"Uh, Island Girl, something tells me that those guys are a far cry from Pyroar and they're really not Fire Types," Race whispered to Sarah, stunned.
"Yeah, I noticed it, too. Must be something else that Ming Wu and her team created just for this game alone," the princess nodded in awe.
The two leading lion-like Pokemon that saved the heroes soon roared at the Sandbuster before they unleashed a torrential Blizzard attack (the attack proving that they are purely Ice Type Pokemon), the Sandbuster hissing and roaring in pain and complete disdain over snow and ice as the combined attack touched him and proved to be a threat for the evil dragon. Realizing that he had no chance against the pride of snowy lions for Pokemon, he was forced to burrow into the ground and run away before they could do him in.
With the threat of the Sandbuster gone for the time being again, all was calm but the pride wasn't done as they soon turned their attention and glares towards the heroes, Flameaconda, Donkapa, Donka, Gerudeon, and her children, taking slow steps forward towards them.
"Uh, Mom... Is it just me or do those fellas over there have a bone to pick with us?" gulped Andres.
"Yeah, they don't look very friendly to me," added Whisker, feeling antsy as she squirmed underneath the pride's glares.
"Okay, what in the name of Godzilla do you winter pussycats want?" hissed Flameaconda, wanting to fight and antagonize them to get them to back off until...
"Mama, Dada!" meowed the cub in Sarah's arms, reaching out to its parents as Sarah and Race realized why the pride was mad at them in the first place.
"Island Girl, you might want to let the little guy go," the BF Champion whispered. "If anything, those two in front are the cub's parents and they'll think you captured part of their pride on purpose."
Sarah blinked as she then put the cub down and let it run back to its pride before it was joined by four more cubs like it that are ecstatic to see their fellow Pokemon alive as they began roughhousing each other happily. Like the cub the princess rescued, the other four lion cubs shared the same Arctic Blue coloration, white underbelly, ice whiskers, and fluffy tails (two of them having fur tuffs on their heads and completely fluffy tails and three of them having no head tuffs and smaller tuffs on their tail tips which left nearly their entire tails exposed, the latter three distinguished as female for both of those characteristics) with the adults.
With the addition of the cubs including the one Sarah managed to save, that made for a total of nineteen snowy lions and lionesses in the new pride. While the rest of the pride nuzzled and licked their cubs happily, the leading pride mates did the same to their male cub but in a great deal of relief before they all turned their attention to the heroes and their allies again.
"I apologize, Humans. Please forgive us for the cold welcome earlier, our son was startled by the approach of that wretched dragon that was chasing you and he ran off in fright but you've managed to find him and keep him safe before he could get hurt. My mate and I and our pride are all in your debt for saving him, so thank you," the male leader announced in gratitude as he bowed.
"Hey, n-no problem. Just n-normal for you to be like that," Sarah gulped.
"Who are you?"
"Or, what are you?" Magearna and Whisker asked.
"My name is Umbra and these are my brothers: Boilyo, Suruk, Makucha, and Tindo," the snow lion Pokemon (voice reference: Christopher Jackson (The Lion Guard - Kitendo/Shujaa)) continued.
"And, I'm Kamakazi and these are my sisters: Nirmala, Rani, Chuluun, Janna, Vitani, Shabaha, Tazama, Imara, and Kasi," the snow lioness Pokemon (voice reference: Heather Headley (The Lion King on Broadway - Adult Nala)) introduced before she directed the heroes to the pride and her and Umbra's cubs.
"We're known to everyone in Cyberspace as Snolion and Snolioness and our cubs are called Iccub. You've already met my and Umbra's son, Sengo, and these are his brothers and sisters, our second and third sons and two daughters: Moseka and Leki and Olee and Nandi."
"What brings you all down here? We've never known about humans or other Pokemon from the real world entering Cyberspace until we heard the rumors about you spreading like wildfire even from down below," one of Umbra's brothers, Suruk, interrogated.
"Pardon the abruptness of this madness we're dealing with but we've been transported here on account of a few enemies of ours and our friends called the Black Dragons who wanted to destroy us in order to continue their plans to revive their master, the one they called Dai Shi," Tsukumaro replied, being direct and straightforward with them.
"Ah, yes, of course. The rumors are true; you lot must be the humans who were zapped into Cyberspace yesterday," nodded Rani. "Are you alone along that little menagerie with you?"
"No, our family and Race's team are still out there but we've split up halfway through the game with one half going to Level 5 to find a mythical bird called the Diricawl," Sarah continued as she and her group freed themselves from the snowdrift they got themselves trapped in.
"The rest of us had to clear the rest of the game until we reach the final level and we were going through Level 8 until that Sandbuster kidnapped and dragged us here. That's when we came across you along with Flameaconda, Donkapa and her daughter, Donka, Gerudeon and her children: Whisker and Andres, and our Mystic Pokemon designed by our friend back in the real world, Ming Wu: Polar, Orpheus, Torch, Freya, Naguara, and Wang Lun."
"Oh, so, that's what that racket was about," blinked Nirmala in realization. "You've must've been very unlucky to run into him and after you managed to get away from him the first time after he dragged you down here."
"You don't know how crazy it's been for us ever since we came to these caverns no thanks to that giant leather handbag," James remarked. "Hey, then why are you all down here? I don't think your kind was meant to stay in these caverns."
"Hmph, try telling that to those creeps you call the Black Dragons; in trying to find and destroy you, they've come across us and our Majestic and Knight Pokemon and harrassed us to no end to help them on their mission. We kept saying no to them but they were persistent until they had enough of our resistance and tried to kill us for rightly acting against them," scoffed Makucha in annoyance.
"But, they had a couple of dinosaurs with them and they chased us out of our old home as punishment until we came across these caverns and got away from them just as you did. We've been hiding out here in secret ever since," added Boilyo.
"Majestic Pokemon, Knight Pokemon?" Sarah echoed in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" added Race, also stumped on the Pokemon part.
"Umbra, darling, what's going on in there?" buzzed a voice from another tunnel from behind Umbra and Kamakazi's pride as hoof-steps can be heard.
The owners of the voice and the hoof-steps turned out to be a modest herd of thirteen horse-like Pokemon joining said pride; amongst the thirteen, seven of them had pitch-black coats and six of them had silver-grey coats as they all stood at only 3'05" in height.
The black horses were wearing royal armor coating their heads, backs, shoulders, legs, and tail bases. All of them have large and bushy Royal Purple tails and Ferrari Red manes sticking out from the tops of their helmets and red strands of them trailing down the sides, each wearing a royal collar around their neck. The silver-grey horses were of a Shiny Variant from their coats but also from their armor being a darker grey shading coupled with their tails and manes all being a light purple.
But, in addition to the original 13-horse herd, there was a small family of three that racked up the herd to a total of sixteen, being two adults and one baby. They were the oddballs of the herd as the adults stood at 5'07" in height and the baby of the three stood at only 2'00".
Adding to their unique sizes was the fact that the adults are Pegasi but with slimmer bodies and legs, their heads and the ends of their backs having blue feathers (three atop on the head and one over on the back) and having a small jewel on their heads. They had white and pink-shaded underbellies with their large, smooth, and curved wings sharing the exact same coloration with their tails having cream and a mix of pink and blue shading near the tail tips.
The baby, however, had pure white wings and a snowy-white collar around its neck, being more like a fairy and its body was completely cream-colored apart from the pink-shaded tail with a blue-shaded tip. Adding to that, there were three little appendages on the sides of its cream and blue-shaded head while a blue jewel rested on its forehead.
What also struck the heroes and their allies as queer is that even though the herd stood at 3'05" in height, the leader was actually revealed to stand at a height of exactly 5'00", being only a few inches shorter compared to the oddball adults.
"Stunning, absolutely stunning!" gasped Tsukumaro in awe as he looked at the Pokemon herd before the heroes. "What kind of Pokemon are they?"
"They look like a royal cavalry belonging to an emperor or a medieval army," blinked James in surprise before he turned to Umbra. "What are they to you?"
Umbra chuckled as he smiled, "They're our friends; these are the Knight Pokemon, Destriker. The leader of the bunch is Akira and with him are his brothers: Blackie, May Rocker, Cross Wings, Red Robe, Hammond, and Clarkson; his Shiny sisters: Silverbell, Paddie, Queenie, Starburst, Twinkle, Fire Streak. We've met them sometime before we were forced to take refuge in the caverns and appointed them to protect our closest friends, the Majestekh and Magistrate Pokemon: Ivory and Ivy who just recently had a daughter: Swirls the Mystekh Pokemon."
He then turned to Akira as the Destriker herd leader spoke with a polite bow, "Umbra..."
"Akira."
"These humans, who are they and how did they get here?"
"They're the ones that had been beamed into Cyberspace the previous day and have been making quite a ruckus on the surface. Don't worry, they pose no threat to you and the rest of our friends and they mean well. I'm sure you and your herd have heard the rumors that had been brewing with all of the chaos being caused since they went through Levels 1 and 2, right?"
Akira and his herd blinked in surprise as they looked between Sarah and her party and their friends. "Oh, the humans who were clearing the game at a fast rate and were trying to reach the final level to escape their enemies' wrath and return home, are they the ones?" the Destriker leader pondered curiously.
"Yes, they were the ones. They saved our son from being trampled by the Sandbuster moments ago before we stepped in to force it out of our cavern," nodded Kamakazi in confirmation as Sengo continued to nuzzle his mother.
"But, with their enemies that brought them here at large and on their way to destroy them and the rest of their family, we'll need to help them reunite with their family and fast before they can leave Cyberspace," added Tindo, looking between the two parties.
"...I see, that is worrying," Akira muttered, concerned after seeing how ragged Sarah and her family, Race, and Magearna were.
"That won't be a problem for us since we know the desert very well after living here for so long. With us as their guides, we should be able to reunite them and that peculiar Pokemon with them with their family and it'll be easier with us for added protection," Rani reassured.
Akira looked worried as he turned to Umbra as he spoke, "Umbra, are you sure you want to help these humans get out of Cyberspace and deal with the humans that caused us so much strife in the first place?"
"These humans are not like the ones that forced us to move away from our old abodes, old friend. We've been living in relative peace for some time after coming here and in fear of being killed and erased altogether but perhaps it is time to put our trust in them and hope for the best."
"And, that means putting our faith in them to help us get rid of the ones responsible for driving us out of our old homes," finished Chuluun.
Akira was silent again before he sighed, still concerned for the safety of his herd and friends.
"Akira, Chuluun, I understand where you're coming from and you do have a point. We can't stay here forever but to go out into the open after what had happened to us, risking everything including life and limb just to do the right thing? How do you expect these humans to help us and understand the pain that we-?" he began.
"Actually, I know how you feel."
Akira, his herd, Umbra, and his pride all turned in surprise to Sarah, having decided to speak her mind out and help them trust her and her family and Race along with their new Pokemon allies.
"You? But, you've never been driving out of your home for no reason whatsoever," Clarkson scoffed skeptically.
Sarah was undeterred as she continued, "You're right, I don't. But, one of my Pokemon knows that a lot..."
The pride and herd listened carefully as the princess revealed to them Silvally's darkest secret that he once told Eternatus over a year prior, "My Synthetic Pokemon, Silvally, he once lived in fear as well but he was more afraid of himself more than anything. He and his brothers once had control masks fitted on them after an incident in the lab they were created in messed up everything that the scientists responsible for their creation had tasked them to do. When we were brought to their birthplace by one of my other Pokemon in the Alola Region, we found out that in the wake of the incident, they had killed 25 people as a result of their final tests gone horribly wrong."
The bombshell about Silvally and his brothers and what led them to have a worse fate than death before being owned by Gladion, Sarah, and Race shocked the pride and the herd to the core. They were shaken up; it had now dawned upon them that there are Pokemon in Cyberspace and the real world that understood the pain they felt but on a much deeper and more personal level. So, in a way, they now found a kindred spirit in Silvally and his brothers.
"Of course, after a series of unfortunate events sometime later, they eventually escaped and went off on their own but ultimately landed in the hands of three trainers who tamed them, raised them, and looked after them as their own. The brother of my best friend Lillie, Gladion, took in the eldest of them all; my Silvally ended up with me after I came across him during an encounter with one of me and my friends' enemies, Team Rocket; and Tou-Tou, the youngest, ended up in Race's care after we found him on Treasure Island and he became accustomed to all of us and my friends."
Then, she thought about Silvally and everything they've been through as she continued, "With my Silvally, he was scared of being the monster that some people would think him as for a while...Until I would eventually find him. It did take some time but I soon got him to realize that he was not really a monster but somebody who's a lost child in need of help and a home."
"I know it's hard for you all to live in fear after such a traumatizing event that you couldn't do anything to stop or change since I've experienced and had heard about that firsthand. It can be a scary thing nor is it the best thing in the world to handle and it's something you can't find it in yourself to cope with but it wouldn't be so hard for you if you can put your faith in a friend who can help you out of a tight spot."
"My princess is right," agreed Magearna, adding her own two cents into the midst with everything she had seen and was told by her charge.
"While we were looking for her parents in the real world, she told me that much of the Pokemon in our family were all welcomed in with open arms after some form of trauma and abuse they were put under by some rapscallion trainers who just wanted to use them in one way or another and they don't care about them. They know that feeling firsthand as well and like you, they were powerless to stop that trauma from overtaking them and causing them to live in fear for their own lives until Sarah came to their rescue. It wasn't easy for them but because they decided to put their trust in her after she confirmed that she wasn't going to hurt them, they understood that there are good people out there who will be willing to help them and show that the world is still a beautiful place as much as it is a cruel world."
The pride and the herd were left speechless by what they had been told but then, Akira gave a chuckle as he was humbled and amused that they were being told a valuable truth by a real-world human and a mechanical Pokemon of all things. It also baffled yet intrigued him to know that Sarah was very much wise beyond her years through her courage, her understanding, and her unparalleled compassion. Nobody they knew or heard of in Cyberspace beyond their homes' borders had ever told them something like that and now, they were given a lecture worthy of a worldwide presentation in somewhere like the real world's United Nations.
Even Wang Lun, Gerudeon and her children, Flameaconda, Donka, Donkapa, and the other Mystic Type Pokemon were floored by what they had just heard with their own ears.
"Hmm... For a child of your age, you truly are wise and speak with wisdom beyond your years," Akira smiled humbly. "We all came and lived here with fear and hopelessness in our hearts but you and your family came now and you spoke to us with courage and understanding."
"Something tells us you've been through a lot and have profound experience in that type of fear," Kamakazi added, she and Umbra sharing Akira's warm and humble smile and Sengo deciding to walk over and nuzzle her to show his comfort while he purred.
"What can I say? That makes up an important part of who I am. I'm not scared to show it to anybody and I had to take it as I go, both the good and the bad," Sarah replied, gently rubbing Sengo's head, making him meow with delight from her touch.
At that moment and with his resolve renewed, Akira nodded as he confirmed, "Alright... If that's what you think, we'll help you reunite with your family and get you back home and out of Cyberspace."
The rest of his herd as well as Umbra and Kamakazi's pride neighed and roared in agreement, sharing his sentiments and with hope rekindled in them thanks to Sarah's pep talk and her compassion for them.
"Well, my family and I always have room for more if possible," Sarah suggested, turning to Akira and Umbra and Kamakazi in turn.
"If you don't feel like going back to your old homes after everything Jin and Teng had done to you, you can come and live with us. You and your Knight Pokemon can join forces with my guardians including my mother's personal aide and partner and my old babysitter, you can be my Mom and Dad's personal calvary. And, on that note, you two and your pride can live with the pride belonging to my Pyroar, Kion and Kiara."
"Oh, no!"
"Here we go again...!" sighed James and Nikki knowingly in exasperation, the latter facepalming.
Akira, Umbra, Kamakazi, and their pride and herd were stunned by the offer that was extended to them until Race chuckled with a sweatdrop as he rubbed the back of his head, chuckling awkwardly.
"That's Island Girl for ya, never one to turn down a Pokemon or creature in need," he replied knowingly. "You better take her up on her offer because you're not going to convince her otherwise. Never one to trouble her, that's what she'll say to you."
Flygon sighed with an amused smile, "I knew it, that's always Aunt Sarah with that sort of thing. But, I suppose that's what my family and I love about her and we wouldn't have her any other way."
After some mental debating with what they've just heard and their previous fate after Jin and Teng terrorized them, they eventually nodded as their agreement and answer involving Sarah's offer was unanimous.
"Alright, young lady, you've won us over," chuckled Umbra.
"We'll gladly take you up on your offer," Akira added in agreement.
"We'll never be able to thank you enough," smiled Kamakazi as Sengo and his siblings meowed thankfully as they dogpiled on Sarah and nuzzled her, making her laugh from their gratefulness.
Even Flameaconda, Donkapa and her daughter, Naguara, Torch, Orpheus, Freya, Polar, Gerudeon, Whisker, and Andreas couldn't help but draw out impressed smiles from their faces. It seemed like the speech and her offer to have their saviors and new friends join Sarah's family along with the Thief Pokemon and her children allowed them to see the princess in a new light and their newfound respect for her grew.
The leading Snolin and Snolioness chuckled before the former replied, "Now, I believe it is time we get you all back to your family and bring you all to the final level where you can get out of here. Come."
With their guides set and having more new allies and family members joining them for the stretch to Levels 9 and 10, everybody soon made their way out of the caverns with Umbra, Kamakazi, Akira, and their pride and herd leading the way. Hopefully, they would have it easy going forward and not run into the Black Dragons, the Sandbuster, or anything else that could threaten them again.
"I'm worried about Shadow and the others," said Nikki worriedly, concerned about the rest of her, Sarah, James, Tsukumaro, Race, Flygon, and Magearna's party on the surface. "I hope they're not driving themselves mad trying to find us."
"If I may say so, Ms. Nikki, with Shadow and Winter amongst those that can help the others keep their heads together, they'll be as right as rain and they won't get into any trouble," reassured Tsukumaro.
"Hey, Island Girl, you have any idea where they could be at if they're not running around like headless chucks right now?" Race questioned.
"I don't know... You know where they could be at, Flygon?" Sarah quizzed her Mystic Pokemon.
"No clue, I was the one burrowing my way to you through the sand and flying through these caves before I ran into you and our resident thief before all of this happened," Flygon shrugged.
Sarah sighed but nodded as she resorted to activating her Wrist Com's map tracker and locking in on anything connecting with it. After a few seconds of searching, it finally managed to lock on to what is a series of symbols resembling some familiar insignias of dragon classes. Curiously, their current location was right at a location where there's a body of water and a series of trees where they are which was a couple of miles on the path leading to Level 9 and out of Level 8.
"Hey, I got a lock! That must be from Shadow and the other dragons, they must be with the others by now. Where are they?" the princess puzzled, looking at their coordinates.
"That musssssst be the oasssssssissssss along the road to Level 9," Flameaconda answered, slithering alongside them. "It isssssss the home of a resssssident Gryphincent Pokemon made by our creator, milessssss from where we are now."
"Well, that's not too bad. We can easily get there faster if we ride on Polar, Orpheus, Ivory, and Ivy given that they can fly."
"And, the rest, Island Girl?"
"Yeah, I don't know what they're planning to do. How will they follow you all?"
"Well, Ming Wu told us earlier that she designed the Pokemon so that they can still be caught so on that aspect, I'll catch Gerudeon, her children, Umbra, Destriker, and their families. Thus, keeping them in their Pokeballs as Wang Lung, Polar, Naguara, Orpheus, Torch, and Freya already have their own balls."
She then looked to Akira, Umbra, and Kamikazi, wanting their approval given the arduous journey they still have to make. "What do you say, guys? Will that be alright with you?" she asked them.
The three leaders nodded in agreement, seeing that there was some logic behind her idea for their own safety as well as everyone's convenience.
"Very well, Little One, do as you must," Umbra signaled with a trusting nod, allowing Sarah to open her satchel and bring up the Pokeball case she was given.
With her balls at hand, she set about catching the Pokemon before her in their designated balls according to what she feels is best for them:
- Flameaconda, Donkapa, and Donka - regular Pokeballs
- Geurdeon, Andres, and Whisker - Great Balls
- Umbra, Kamikazi, and their pride - Premier Balls
- Akira and his herd - Luxury Balls
- Ivory, Ivy, Swirls - Dream Balls
With that out of the way and their new friends safely in their balls, she then returned Naguara, Wang Lun, Torch, and Freya back in their own balls before she and Race mounted Polar, James and Nikki hopped aboard Orpheus, and Tsukumaro and Magearna boarding Ivory and Ivy respectively with Swirls opting to fly alongside her parents. Once they were all set and they were finally out of the cavern labyrinth and away from the defeated Sandbuster, they set off for the oasis where the rest of their family is at, flying north.
As they flew along the sky, Sarah thought back to Faraji and her party back at Level 5 and their mission involving the Diricawl. "Be careful, Faraji, all of you. Just stick together, be safe, be strong..." she prayed mentally, hoping that the second half of her giant family and their friends would survive.
Sometime earlier
Returning to Faraji's group and the matter of the Diricawl, they were greeted by the sight of five Pokemon that looked vastly different from one another that came to help them deal with the Kelpie.
The first two Pokemon before them were revealed to be a pair of Dragonair but apart from the same length and height, their wings on their backs were a mix of regular and navy blue coupled with purple and pink shading while a small pair of wings was formed above their eyes in the exact same colors.
The third one next to them was another dragon Pokemon but it stood at a remarkable 20'1" in height and 30 ft. in length with a blue body, a cream underbelly, rainbow wing membranes, and crystals forming its horns and spikes of the same shade that came out from its shoulders and behind each of its back legs.
Finally, riding on the dragon Pokemon's back was a pair of Pokemon that looked like Qilin/Kirin that stood at Rapidash's height, each of them with a singular yellow unicorn-like horn, a white mane starting from their lower jaws to the backs of their necks, and white and yellow swirl-shaped plates along their shoulders. Their bodies appeared to be light blue with purple-scaled underbellies complete with their hooves and tails fading into a bright shade of electric blue that had lightning bolts along its forehooves at the back.
Upon meeting Faraji's party, the five Pokemon turned to face down the Kelpie with the Kirin Pokemon jumping off of their Dragon Type companion's back and standing alongside it while the Occamy-like Pokemon flapped above them.
"Hey! What kind of Pokemon are they?"
"No clue!"
"I've never seen such creatures before!"
"Don't they look familiar to you guys?" Amber, Craggeon, Thundereon, and Breezeon remarked.
"You're right! Those two look like Occamies!"
"Great Reshiram's Mane! Those two above the other three look like the Occamy instead of a Dragonair!"
"Galloping Mudsdales, those young ones look like Kirin!"
"Are they more Pokemon that Ming Wu created-bzzt?"
"If that'sssssss the cassssse, Ming Wu'sssssss full of ssssssurprisesssssss!" Ghost, Xena, Guardeon, Manteon, and Medusa observed in shock and awe.
"That's our creator, alright! Anyway, I'm Oliver and I'm a Dragomy!" peeped the first newcomer, Oliver, to the group before he turned to the female Dragomy with him. "This here's my mate, Opal!"
"Rompiregon, the Crystal Dragon Pokemon," replied the third Pokemon with a bow as he looked back before he directed to the Kirin Pokemon beside him. "This Radian and Thora, also known as Apocalitz the Thunder Hoof Pokemon."
"Heard you guys are going to have a brawl with that mad Kelpie," the female Apocalitz noted, seeing the Kelpie about to attack the Diricawl family and the Wampus Cat's mate. "We were wondering what that racket was about when we heard its neighs but it looks like you found out already."
"If you're hoping for a miracle to help you save those Diricawls and that pussycat and put down that giant maniac of a horse-fish, your prayers are answered!" added the male Apocalitz, Radian, not taking his glare off of the Kelpie.
"Thanks, sure could use the help," thanked Tai Lung with a grateful nod.
"We'll lead off, then you follow," Oliver started, flapping his wings and charging forward as he prepared to be the first one to make his assault on the Kelpie. "My turn first, Dragon Breath!"
Flying over the lake to the Kelpie, the male Dragomy came into view as the Scottish horse-fish caught sight of him. It tried to grab him by the tail but with his superior agility and maneuverability, he made it hard for the mythical aquatic beast to capture and kill him before he blasted the Kelpie at a blind spot it was unaware of. The force of the Dragon Breath was so great, it managed to blow the Kelpie back into the water which gave him enough time to approach the Wampus Cat's mate and the Diricawl family noticed their savior coming alongside them.
"All aboard!" he called, allowing the relieved mythicals to climb onto his back and be brought back to the others.
This brought a great sense of relief and happiness to the rescued creatures as the Diricawls cawed happily in their nest and the female Wampus Cat and her kittens rushed to their mate/father. The Wampus Cat couple nuzzled each other happily as tears streamed down their eyes and their kittens meowed and ran around their father happily as he licked and nuzzled them one by one, this was the happiest Faraji and her party had seen them ever since they met the mythical cats.
"Aww! They're back together," Buneary cooed.
"And, the Diricawls are ok," Phanpy smiled as he checked the Diricawl family all over and found nothing wrong.
"Now, all we got to do is either escape or finish off the Kelpie before it comes back to haunt us," Hydro replied, eager to get a few hits in on the Kelpie.
"Wait, what?!" the dragons gawked in horror at the female Tidal Class dragon before they screamed, "DON'T BE BLOODY STUPID!"
"Oh, come on! That fish head was asking for it!" Hydro argued.
"We only just survived being turned into fish food, Sis!" Hurricane snapped, not wanting to see and deal with the Kelpie again.
"Oliver saved us the trouble of getting the Diricawl family and the Wampus Cat's mate out of its path of destruction!"
"You couldn't match up to that devil of the sea! We're not going to make even a small dent on it no matter how hard we try!" Big Buff and Puff spat frantically at her together.
"They're right, that Kelpie is too big and too much of a powerful threat for us to deal with even with our numbers!" Chance agreed, knowing what they'll have to do now. "Right now, we should get back to the others as soon as possible. Everybody fall back to the Warp Zone to Level 10!"
"Right/Right/Right!" the others agreed while the Mythicals gave agreeing caws, meows, and nods as they dashed back to the Warp Zone.
Disclaimer Note:
Delosky, Parosea and Naxoreal belong to maumesdex, Flameaconda, Donkapa and Donka belong to mazon_fakemon, Snolion, Snowlioness and Iccub belong to pokemontimeandspace, Destriker belong to, Mystekh and Majestekh belong to mykemon_regions.
Dragon Sword, Crystal Sword, Steel Shield, Aura Lance, Phrenic Bow, Poison Stars, Psychic Spellbook and Flame Blade belong to jakeymon._.trainer. Luxray (Alatian Form) belongs to alatia_region, Gerudeon belongs to , Burstallion, Reliquine, Urshifu (Dual Strike Style) and Naguara belong to an_artist_astray.
Dragomy and Rampigreon belong to valoo_art. Apocalitz belongs to trainer_matz
All of these users on on Instgram and gave me permission to use these pokemon and weapons in our story
