"We're about to get rollin'! It's Alola Pokemon Quiz Time! As soon as you know the answer to the question, buzz in!" a TV Host began with a microphone in his hands with four contestants and their Pokemon partners behind him, one of which was Sophocles with Togedemaru beside him by his right.
Today's Sophocles is a contestant on a TV quiz show and the rest of our heroes are there in the studio to cheer him on!
Saturday, May 7th; the weekend finally rolled by and by sheer luck and chance, Sophocles won a starring role on a TV quiz show called Alola Pokemon Quiz, a show where four lucky contestants and their Pokemon would compete against each other to answer an array of questions about Alolan Pokemon. Sarah, Ash, Mallow, Kiawe, Race, Lana, and Lillie were all there to cheer him on and they were joined by Sarah's real family (so they can get a better understanding of how the entertainment business of today is like compared to what they had for entertainment in their era).
As the show began, everyone saw that one of the contestants and his Partner Pokemon Sophocles and Togedemaru would be facing was Noah, the smartest person in the Alola Region, and his Pikipek.
"Let's start with Question Number 1: Alola's Ex..." the host began before Pikipek immediately hit its trainer's buzzer. "You're up, Noah!"
"35.8 ft.!" Noah answered as a victory bell was rung.
"Correct!" the host grinned as a Comfey came over with a flower necklace to signify a victory when a question was correctly asked.
"Here you go, Noah," Comfey smiled as she placed a flower necklace around Noah's neck for his first correct answer.
"Thanks a lot," Noah smiled back.
"He's fast."
"Of course, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from one of the smartest people in all of Alola."
"Tough questions." Ash, Kiawe, and Mallow gasped.
"Just like in the Steps of Knowledge section from Legends of the Hidden Temple," Race nodded, impressed.
"Get your game on, Sophocles!" cheered Lillie.
"He'll get the next point!" Lana reassured.
"Let's hope so and just pray that Togedemaru doesn't get too excited and screws everything up for him and herself," Sarah replied as the host gave his second question to the contestants.
"And, now, Question Number 2: Which Pokemon left these footprints?"
"Togedemaru?" Sophocles called his partner.
"Check!" Togedemaru nodded, the Roly-Poly Pokemon hitting the button she's on with her spikes, allowing her trainer to answer.
"Your turn, Sophocles!"
"That's a Morello!"
"Right you are, Sophocles!"
"Alright!" Sophocles cheered as Comfey gave him a flower necklace for his correct answer.
"All yours, Sophocles!" she chirped happily for him.
"Thanks, Comfey!"
"Way to go, Sophocles/That's the way it's done!" Pikachu and Ash beamed.
And so, the game continued for the rest of the time the show aired for the episode that is being aired; while some of the other contestants and their partners rang their buzzers and they sometimes got right or wrong answers, Noah and Sophcles were able to get the correct answers to the questions they, Togedemaru, and Pikipek buzzed for (with everybody cheering for both boys as the competition raged on). With each win, they were given a flower necklace before it all came down to the final question between them and only them as the two boys were tied for nine points each and the tiebreaker would decide it all for them depending on who buzzed first and who gets the question right.
"Well, well, ladies and gentlemen! It looks like we got ourselves a tie game here with Noah and Sophocles at nine points each as our final two contestants for this program! That means whoever gives the final correct answer here takes the top spot! So, here's our final question: Alola's..." the host said to the crowd and began his final question for the two contestants.
"Pikipek/Togedemaru!" Noah and Sophocles called, their partners bracing themselves as they raced for their buttons.
[New Theme Song - Drunken Lives (Young Hero Fong Sai Yuk - ft. Johnny Ip) {Roughly Translated Ver.}]
(The new opening begins when we see legions of Pokemon trainers and their Pokemon training in a giant stadium and amongst them, Sarah, Ash, and the Pokemon School gang are training with their own Pokemon, preparing for the most important chapter of their lives before the trainers and their Pokemon stood at attention and the gang got into a group fighting pose as the song begins. They will eventually take part in the finalized Alola League to determine who is the top Pokemon trainer in the entire Alola region)
When life is rough and too dark to see, my regrets wash over all of me~
Pain is immense but don't you cry or pout, you'll very soon find your way out~
(In small snippets and previews of what's to come or will be happening now, Sarah and her friends are living out their normal lives again after the demise of Lothor and Team Eclipse including Sophocles and Vikavolt taking part in a Vikavolt Race, training for the upcoming Alola League, the arrival of a little Pokemon looking like it's made from metal, and Mallow, Lana, and Lillie along with Sandy, the female Shaymin, and Snowy taking part in a TV program)
Live a life worth living, make it beautiful, and work hard to be strong and happy~
In the mortal world, your life is so meaningful, so go and prove your own mettle~
(All the while, at specific points in the last volume of the story, Race and Sarah reaffirm their love for each other while Gladion continues his family's mission to uncover more about their father, Mohn, and to determine his current whereabouts, hoping to reunite with him once again as the Alola League was finally completed and approved)
So, who would you connect with to meet up with me as friendly voices cut through the peaceful sunny crest~
Your heart is now mine forevermore, your sincerity shines at its best~
(The opening ceremonies kick off before Race and Sarah stand together in the midst of a fireworks celebration during a festival as their love continued to blossom and the gang takes up a bit of a sport called Pokemon Golf while helping a famous golfer and her Toucannon out of a slump they're in)
So, who would you connect with to meet up with me as friendly voices cut through the peaceful sunny crest~
Your heart is now mine forevermore, your sincerity shows me your love I can't detest~
(Guzzlord somehow enters Sarah's world along with other Guzzlords to join him after the Alola League reaches its climax, forcing everybody in the region to try and stop them from destroying Alola and repeating the tragic history of Dia's world. In the short instrumental, the gang takes part in battling at the Kantonian Gym in Malie City on Ula'Ula Island as short snippets of the gang getting themselves into scrapes throughout their misadventures are shown)
So, who would you connect with to meet up with me as friendly voices cut through the peaceful sunny crest~
Your heart is now mine forevermore, your sincerity shines at its best~
(Lana is then shown facing the toughest challenge of her life as she and Brionne come across a Kyogre and she has to do her utmost to tame it as she reels it in when its life is in danger. Sandy, Mallow's Shaymin, Sarah's Shaymin, the metal-like Pokemon, Breezeon, Sho, and Donka explore Malie City unsupervised after trying to recover a hair ornament before coming across Team Rocket again. Pikachu (and his entire team) and Blitz (with some of his brothers and sisters) go on an adventure to find Ash, Torracat, Sarah, and Silvally disappeared on them when the quartet traveled back in time and meet a younger Kukui as he starts out on his Pokemon journey that leads him to become a Pokemon Professor in studying Pokemon moves)
So, who would you connect with to meet up with me as friendly voices cut through the peaceful sunny crest~
Your heart is now mine forevermore, your sincerity shows me your love I can't detest~
(Finally, snippets of the Ultra Rescue Rangers' final missions involving Evox with their and the Beast Morphers Rangers' final clashes with him and his followers, the return of Necrozma and their efforts to restore him as the Bright One, the gang all taking part in the Alola League including Sarah or Ash facing off against Guzma and learning how he became the trainer and punk he is now and why he was running away, and a final battle with either one facing off against Kukui and Tapu-Koko in a final full 6-on-6 Pokemon battle and a match for the ages in Alola are shown. The intro then ends with Sarah reviving Necrozma in his true form and standing with him along with Cresselia, Zygarde (10% Forme), Zacian, Zamazenta, Xerneas, Giratina, and Rayquaza while she turned into her Lion Form and roared proudly as the titles appeared above the group on the ground)
Pokemon Sun & Moon - The Warrior Princess
Soon, the program had ended and our heroes were now with Sophocles in the studio lounge area as he and Togedemaru sighed sadly; they lost to Noah and Pikipek in the finals of Alola Pokemon Quiz for the final question and they were stuck as the runner-up team because despite Togedemaru's speed in hitting her button first, her trainer couldn't get the right answer and Noah and Pikipek smoked them which allowed them to win for today's show.
"You were so close, Sophocles," Ash stated, trying to comfort the Electric Type student as Lillie got a drink for him. "I know," he sighed before he smiled and accepted the drink from his Ice Type friend. "Thanks a lot, Lillie."
"You were great out there, Sophocles. It does suck you and Togedemaru flubbed up on that last question but the important thing is you did your best. And, between all of us, you're the smartest person we all know, even smarter than I'll ever be. That is why you were the brains of our ranger team," smiled Sarah softly to Sophocles, cheering him up as he blushed from her praising him.
"Oh, stop it, Sarah. You're just saying that 'cause it's true," he chuckled before he turned to his distressed partner. "And, don't worry about losing in the finals, Togedemaru. You were quick to hit on that button throughout our run, you were awesome, too."
"But, it's my fault that we lost!" Togedemaru whimpered, blaming herself for her and Sophocles losing to Noah and Pikipek as she was about to cry.
"Hey, come on, Togedemaru. Don't cry. It'll be okay, besides, it's not whether you win or lose."
"Yeah, chin up. It's how you play the game and you were an incredible buzzer with your speed and reaction time. There's always next time," Blitz and Bella comforted the Roly-Poly Pokemon warmly.
"Yeah, you're right, Bella. There's always next time and when we're back on the air, we'll have to up our game!" Sophocles smiled determinedly.
"Now, that's the Sophocles we all know and love!" Rotom-Dex grinned proudly.
"Yeah, in fact, both of you are real standouts throughout your time there! Everybody's gonna want your autograph, especially our other friends at the Pokemon School!" Mallow smiled.
"Yeah, maybe!" Sophocles smirked.
"Oh, Rotom!" Everybody blinked in surprise as a voice was heard coming toward them, they turned and they saw what looked like a man dressed in a casual business suit via a lavender flap shirt, a coat wrapped along his shoulders like a cape, brown shoes, and spring green pants, and wearing sunglasses atop his head appeared and greeted Rotom. "Hi-de-hi!"
Rotom-Dex smiled brightly and floated over as this was his old friend, the producer of Alolan Detective Laki: George, who offered him a part of the show overseas back then but agreed to have him be with Ash as he wanted to stay with him, "Hi, it's been such a long time!"
"Rotom, dearie, is this man a friend of yours, by any chance?" Delilah quizzed as everybody, save for Ash, stared in confusion at George.
Rotom-Dex was only too happy to introduce George to the rest of Sarah's human family and all of his friends as he proudly said to them, "Your Highnesses, you and everybody else are all looking at a very special person, none other than the producer of the Alolan Detective Laki show!"
"Excellent! The name's George Charino, hi! The pleasure's all mine," George nodded, introducing himself as Mallow, Lana, and Lillie suddenly fawned over him as they had stars for eyes.
"I never thought I'd ever get to meet the famous producer of the Alolan Detective Laki show, IN PERSON!"
"Incredible!" the girls screeched with joy while the female Shaymin, Snowy, and Sandy grinned.
"Mr. Charino, a pleasure it is to meet you. My name's Doug and this is my wife, Delilah, along with our mother and father, David and Donna." Doug smiled as he shook George's hand and Delilah bowed along with David and Donna (former queen).
"Hi, name's Asha."
"And, I'm Race, nice to meet you," Asha and Race smiled at George.
"I'm Sarah Tomoe," Sarah introduced with a nod.
"A real honor it is for us in our fair studio to have you all today, Your Majesties! Your daughter and her friends included! And, how lovely to see you and Pikachu again, Ash! But, tell me, Rotom, why are you back here with a bit of company today on Alola TV?" George chuckled before he turned to Rotom-Dex.
"My friend, Sophocles, and his Togedemaru appeared on Alolan Pokemon Quiz and we decided to show Sarah's real family around while we're here," Rotom-Dex smiled.
"Nice, excellent! I thought you'd come here begging to be back on Alolan Detective Laki."
"We were all having fun after they lost in the semifinals against Noah and his Pikipek and made the Top 4."
"Oh, that's too bad for your friend. But, luckily for you, we're shooting another production just nearby! Do you wanna come and see, especially their royal majesties?"
Everybody gasped in amazement as Sophocles and Mallow asked on behalf of everyone, "Really?!"
"You mean it?"
"Of course!" smiled George as he then led everybody outside the main studio to the site where Alola TV is filming their next TV show or movie.
"Maybe I'll meet a star when we get there!" Sophocles thought, brimming with excitement.
"I'm going to take lots of pictures, this is gonna be a blast!" Rotom-Dex said, equally ecstatic.
"Just don't do anything embarrassing while we have Sarah's parents with us for the day, okay?" Kiawe reminded as they saw a small crowd gathered around something or someone along with one of the camera crews for the shoot they're doing for the movie Alola TV is doing.
"Right over there," George noted, gesturing to the crowd in front of the site where the movie was to be shot.
"Where, there, who?!" Sophocles asked, unable to control his excitement as everybody went over and saw some of the crew members filming what looked to be...A female Magikarp.
"...I-I-I-It, it's KARPY!" Rotom-Dex shrieked in shock, recognizing who the female Magikarp is.
"What did you say?!" Kiawe gawked in realization and amazement as his eyes bugged out and twinkled.
"That's a Magikarp, the Water Type Pokemon that's pretty useless unless they can evolve into a powerful Gyarados. But, what's so special about this one?" Sarah remarked, raising a dumbfounded eyebrow.
"...What's a Karpy?" Race asked in a bored tone, causing the girls, Rotom-Dex, Kiawe, and Sophocles to gasp in shock at them and get in their faces over how unimpressed they were about the female Magikarp they all fawned over.
"Seriously, Race?!"
"Sarah, you're kidding!"
"You idiots!" Lana, Lillie, and Kiawe balked in shock, narrowing their eyes at him.
"Are you saying you've never heard of Karpy?!" Mallow spluttered in disbelief at the young couple.
"Karpy's a legend in Alola, she's a real genius at playing Young Magikarp!" Sophocles declared proudly.
Sarah just continued to give a dumbfounded stare, "Who?"
Aggravated by her response, Kiawe grabbed Sarah by her shoulders and yelled angrily in her face as he continued to fanboy over Karpy, "HELLOOOOOO! Karpy plays Young Magikarp on our region's long-running TV series, Little Magikarp's Melody! When they watched it, the critics mentioned that it made all of Alola cry and gave the show top marks! It's actually Alola's NUMBER ONE TV SHOW!"
"Okay, okay! I get it but how do you know about that?" Sarah asked, prompting Kiawe to blush with embarrassment.
"...My little sister, Mimo, is its number one fan and she would often drag me to the TV so our family could watch it whenever it's on the air."
"I get it, kids are always going to latch onto something as corny as that," Race remarked with a deadpan.
Sophocles could only agree with Kiawe as he continued to both proudly declare and fanboy, "Karpy's real talent comes out when she cries; the reunion with her best friend after being apart for so long. That cute high-pitched voice of hers still tugs my heartstrings in such an emotional way! Ooohhhh!"
"And, what's more, Karpy is no ordinary Magikarp when she uses Splash. She can use Splash while twirling and along with her cuteness, she becomes super popular!" Rotom-Dex finished, smiling vigorously and showing how much of a fanboy he is with Karpy.
"She can really do that? Awesome! WOW!" Ash breathed in total fascination.
"I've always wanted to meet Karpy ever since I saw the very first episode of her show but never in my life did I ever expect us to see Karpy working this close! This sort of thing never happens unless you're really, really lucky!" Sophocles continued to fanboy.
"Hey, Rotom? Would you mind taking a picture of Karpy and us, for Mimo, of course?" Kiawe requested to Rotom-Dex.
"It'd be happy to! She's gonna be so happy when she sees-uh?" Rotom-Dex nodded eagerly before Sarah was forced to hold him back.
"How about later once she and her film crew are done shooting, Rotom? You know it's against the rules to take photos while they're producing or shooting scenes for a movie or TV series," Sarah frowned, raising an eyebrow at the Living Pokedex in her hands.
"You might want to extend that to your babies, Island Girl. Didn't you put a leash on some of them before we came here after Sophocles invited us over after he won his spot on Alola Pokemon Quiz? You know, like the babies belonging to your adult Night Lights?" Race rebutted to his girlfriend.
"No, why?" the princess answered before her boyfriend pointed at the excited and curious Zap, Splattertail, and Goggles meeting and talking with Karpy, shocking and bewildering everybody in their entire group as they yelled in shock.
"...'Cause they're TALKING WITH THE STAR OF THE SHOW RIGHT NOW!"
"Oh, hello there. How do you do?" Karpy greeted kindly.
"He-he-he! Hi," greeted Splattertail.
"You're a cool little fishy," added Zap.
"And, very cute at that, too!" chirped Goggles as he jumped up and down.
"Oh! Why, thank you, darlings! You flatter me," Karpy chuckled.
"Ahem!" snorted a woman who was actually Karpy's stingy manager, Carla, as she approached and glared at the Night Lights, "Excuse me but no large lizards on the set anywhere near my Karpy!"
"Excuse me? Lizards, is that how you see my dragons? You, lady, have no respect for dragons, at all," Sarah replied indignantly as she arrived and shoved Klara back, giving her a death glare while the happy Night Lights returned to her side while chirping, not caring what Klara spat at them. "And, can you really blame them? They're babies and they're curious as babies go, got a problem with that?"
"Well, of all the-! Ugh!" Carla huffed, stomping out of the way while fuming and turning her nose up while Sarah ignored her (the manager not knowing she just offended the little princess as she transgressed against her and her family) as she returned to the group.
"Idiot," Silvally spat, already thinking of a fantasy of him and his family torturing Karpy's manager for her vile treatment of his mother.
"Well, somebody in the movie business got up on the wrong side of the bed with an impending Gyarados," snorted Hydreigon in disgust at Klara.
"Dork/Jerk/Loser/Meanie!" Scorch, Yamper, Wooloo, and Ponyta snapped at Karpy's manager with Woloo and Ponyta giving her angry raspberries.
"Well, by Master Zacian and Master Zamazenta's honor, what a horrid old woman," Rapidash grumbled, giving Klara the stink eye.
"I wonder what kind of Beedrill got up her boxers."
"The unpleasant kind, dear brother."
"The worst kind," Breezeon, Thundereon, and Freezeon bantered, already hating Klara off the bat.
"Not as pleasant and kind as Karpy there."
"Yeah, unlike Ms. Stingy, at least she's got a heart of gold and knows how to treat a dragon and potential new fans," Talonflame and Sarah's Shaymin agreed, they and their family already taking a liking to Karpy.
"Who is she, anyway?" Tou-Tou remarked.
"Forgive her, that's Carla, she's Karpy's manager," George smiled sheepishly.
"Manager?" Ash echoed curiously.
"She's the one that looks after and maintains Karpy's interests."
"Never knew there was a job for that."
"Alright. Now, Karpy, we're going to shoot the scene where you'll have to say goodbye to your good friend, Yungoos, as he goes on his journey. You dig?" the director overseeing the entire production instructed, getting a happy jump and bounce of approval from Karpy.
The crew nodded to each other as they prepared to shoot the take they needed while the assistant director told the crowd, "Places, everybody, places! Okay, we'll be doing an actual take in a few minutes! So, please, everybody quiet on the set!"
"Looks like it's showtime," Sophocles noted as he and Kiawe smiled brightly, eager to see how the scene the crew needs for the series would go.
"Prepare to witness and burn the image of Karpy's genius on the inside of your eyelids for life!" Kiawe warned, bracing himself for the tear-jerking.
"I will, I will!" Ash eagerly replied while Sarah just sighed and rolled her eyes in response as the director got on his chair and everyone stood ready.
"Alright, let's make one, I want to hear it loud and clear! Ready! Speed, and...Action!"
Filming commenced as Karpy and Yungoos stared at each other lovingly before the Loitering Pokémon gave a soft smile and then turned to walk away from Karpy before looking back at her. This was the signal for Karpy to begin shedding tears in the scene as she bids a tearful farewell/goodbye to her best friend. But, to everyone's shock and surprise, instead of her usual cute voice, a deep voice suddenly cut through which left the fans, the crew, George, and the heroes absolutely beside themselves.
"Cut, cut, cut! Sorry, Karpy, not quite what I wanted. Try again, it'll come out naturally. Just take it easy," the director soothed before they reshot the scene but the same thing happens, and this time, Karpy's body flashed for a brief moment but long enough for the heroes to take notice.
"Hmm, that's weird. It looked as though, Karpy's body...just flashed," Lana blinked in surprise.
"You think?"
"Maybe you're just perceiving her star power, Lana," Sophocles and Kiawe dismissed as they didn't see the flash themselves.
"I highly doubt she was 'cause I saw it myself."
"I'll say, that brief flash can't be just a coincidence," Race and Sarah retorted.
The director was getting worried and not wanting to waste any time, he went over to Karpy and gently knelt down before smiling and coaxing to her, "Sweetheart, it's okay. I know something's up but we'll look into it, later. For now, can we please hear your sweet voice for the take?"
Karpy nodded determinedly, making the director smile and tell the crew to reshoot the scene once more, "Let's do it again! Keep your eyes and ears open, everybody!"
But, surprisingly, what everyone and the director hoped for wasn't the case; each time they shot the scene over and over, Karpy just couldn't give them her usual cute voice as it became deeper and her body was continuing to flash. This finally got the attention of everyone as they couldn't understand what was going on with Karpy during the shoot.
"That's weird, I wonder what's going on with Karpy and her voice today. It sounded as though she caught a cold," Sophocles wondered.
"But, it's not even winter and we're in the height of spring. But, Pokemon are more often than not immune to hay fever, there's no way she could catch a cold that would make her voice go so deep," Asha remarked.
"Hmm, I wonder..." Sarah thought for a moment before she hummed and jumped over the fence to speak with the director.
"Excuse me, Sir, but would you mind holding off filming for a minute so I can check on Karpy's condition?" she requested, surprising the director and shocking Carla.
"Uh, sure... Okay, go ahead," the director approved as Sarah gave him a smile before she went to check on Karpy.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing, young lady!?" Carla barked.
Sarah didn't listen as she checked Karpy over and talked with her about the condition of her voice and it wasn't until the famous Magikarp's eyes widened and she echoed what the little princess deducted to her in surprise that everything became clear to her. She then gave Karpy one final smile and a reassuring nod before she turned to address the crowd that wanted to hear the news as they muttered about what she was doing (given that many of them know her as their region's fair princess who's a friend to Pokemon of many kinds).
"Everybody, may I have your attention, please? I'm sorry to break it to you all but judging by the condition of Karpy's voice and the flashes her body has been giving off while filming, it's clear to me that Karpy is very close to evolving into a Gyarados," Sarah announced, surprising the crowd, her family, and her friends.
Carla, however, was shocked beyond belief as she tried to retort, "Evolve, into Gyarados?! B-B-B-But, that's impossible! Karpy was doing just fine in rehearsals before we even began filming for this scene!"
"Did you ever happen to give Karpy an Everstone since it would keep her from evolving? I should know since some of my Pokemon have one on them after they chose not to evolve and I agreed to their wishes."
"Well, no... Uh, it, i-it never did cross my mind. But, still...!"
"Then, you should've been the first to know that the glowing of her body and her deeper voice are both signs that she's growing and she's about to evolve. You didn't give her an Everstone to keep her as a Magikarp because you couldn't pick up on them fast enough, it's Pokemon Trainer Common Sense 1-0-1. A trainer of any sort must be responsible for his or her own Pokemon and must always be ready to act on certain surprises such as an unexpected evolution. Until she either evolves or you find an Everstone for her, I'm afraid that filming for Little Magikarp's Melody will have to be postponed until then."
"Absolute poppycock!" Carla raged.
Sarah just gave Carla a leveled glare as she coldly told her, "I'm worried about what would happen to everyone including Karpy herself if she were to evolve at the worst possible time if she doesn't have an Everstone on her while filming carries on and she runs around area scared, M'am. But, who am I to judge since she's your manager? You should know what she wants best more than me so, do what you want."
With that, the little princess returned back to her family and Carla, now shaking from Sarah's warning, hastily put Karpy back in a tank she carries her around and says to the director as she runs off, "Uh, Mr. Director... I think we need to take a little break, we'll be...back in a flash!"
"But, wait!" the director cried to her before he groaned in dismay and everybody was left baffled.
But, little did anybody know, Team Rocket had snuck into Alola TV while no one was looking after seeing and hearing that Sophocles was on the air in Alola Pokemon Quiz before he lost to Noah and Pikipek. And, as they were eavesdropping on the heroes, they were also intrigued to hear what the princess said about Karpy's potential evolution.
"Ooh, what an interesting discovery our favorite twerpette has just unleashed for us, don't you think? This royal deduction could be one worth getting us in the spotlight for!"
"No two bucks about it! Nobody calls her the royal brains in her family for nothing 'cause when it comes to Pokemon, she's well on point! And, best of all, now that a huge Gyarados is coming our way, we'll sail our way through Alola and have everyone do our royal bidding while on the air!"
"Those TV personalities will be begging to have us making headlines nonstop and our fame will be eternal from this day forward! We will be swimming in the moolah we'll be raking for weeks, months, and years, and the boss will surely see our worth!"
"Let's get ready to par-tay on TV!" Jessie, Meowth, James, and Wobbuffet bantered, all four of them sneering with delight.
"I'm surprised you were able to pick up on Karpy's evolution that fast and ditch the assumption that she's sick, Sarah," Ash blinked.
"I had a feeling she was about to evolve given her voice as of now and those flashes. But, I'm worried about how everybody would take her evolving into a Gyarados if there's no Everstone to be found for her," Sarah replied.
"Oh, dear! Would you look at the time, I'm afraid you're on your own now. My other production is filming, too, so I should see how our other crew is getting on. Oh, and Princess, thank you so much for deducting Karpy's condition. We'll make sure her evolution problem is taken care of immediately once we meet up with her and Carla again," George told everyone once he checked his watch and saw what time it was.
"Thank you so much, good luck!" thanked Ash and the gang while Sarah's family nodded in appreciation.
"It's the least I can do, George. See ya later," Sarah smiled before two other staff members and movie workers, Julie and Jack, came over to George while looking frantic.
"George! I'm glad we caught you, there's trouble on our end!" Jake called, looking worried.
"Now, what's gotten you two in a tizzy, Jack?" George asked in confusion.
"We just got word that our leading actresses for the Fresh Tree aren't going to make it in time for production!"
"Why's that?"
"That's because they were previously filming on location in the Sinnoh Region when Abomasnow and Froslass suddenly got into a fight! The resulting blizzard from their scuffle kept their plane from taking off and their flight had to be delayed at best, let alone canceled at worst, until it subsides which won't be for hours!"
"If we don't get their shots today, our broadcast deadline is doomed!" Julie added frantically.
"George, we have to do something! If nothing is done about this crisis of ours, Alola TV will be forced to show a rerun of 'Calm Down Archeops: The Royalty Final Battle' instead!"
"What'll we do?!" the pair finished, crying.
"It sounds like George is in a lot of trouble since he has his hands tied," Rotom-Dex told everyone.
However, contrary to Rotom-Dex's worries, George just smiled as he wrapped his arms around the troubled moviemakers and reassured them, "No sweat!"
"Huh?" puzzled Julie and Jack.
George just explained to the pair as he made a frame via his fingers and looked towards Sarah and the others, examining each of them to determine the three replacements who would fill in for the leading actresses for their Fresh Three movie. Eventually, he ended up choosing, out of all of them: Lana, Lillie, and Mallow.
"Say, would you girls mind if we film the Fresh Three TV show with you three as our main leads?" he requested, getting surprised looks from the girls in question.
"You mean, the three of us?!"
"As the stars?!"
"What do you mean?"
"The very TV show that I'm referring to, which is starting production today, has three girls as the main stars. And, I want three Pokemon that emphasize the best characteristics involving you in the show as well! Nice, excellent!"
"Oh, brother..." sighed Eternatus with an unimpressed frown, shaking his head at George.
Lillie was nervous; the only acting she ever did was in the school play weeks/months ago and that was not much experience for her to think about taking part in a TV show. It also didn't help that despite how confident she now is as a Pokemon Trainer after everything she went through, she was still concerned about being in the limelight. Especially on a TV show with regards to the cameras rolling and the fact that she would be on screen for everybody to see. It was worrying enough for her to deal with stage fright while doing the play but doing a TV show as a lead actress was a daunting leap for her.
"...Well, that's very nice of you to offer but the only acting I've done was in a school play. I think you should find someone else."
"But, I really want you three!" George implored, getting grins from Lana and Mallow.
"I'd love to try, George! Thank you so much!"
"I'd love to give it a try, too!" Mallow and Lana agreed, eager to work with George and one of the Alola TV crews.
"Let's give it a go, Lillie!" Mallow said to Lillie, trying to convince her Ice Type best friend to give professional acting a shot.
"This could be a new chance to discover the new you!" George added to her.
Lillie was surprised but then, to the boys' shock and Asha and Race's surprise, gave a determined nod and smile as she confirmed, "Then...I'll try!"
Sarah smiled at her best friend and nodded in approval with Lillie choosing to take the risk before her as she, Mallow, Lana, Primarina, Sandy, Shaymin, Tsareena, and Snowy were led by George, Jack, and Julie to the production studio where filming for the Fresh Three TV show would be made.
"Excellent! Now, we shall start production immediately and we'll get you girls and your Pokemon all set up for what you need to do!" George smiled as they went on their way while everybody else watched them go.
"I never expected all three of them to say 'Yes'," Kiawe commented, amazed by what he had heard.
"George sure likes to act on his impulses, does he?"
"I'm more amazed to see him bounce back up and improvise on the spot."
"I know acting on impulse gets one so far but George seemed to have experience with thinking out of the box when nothing goes according to plan," Sophocles, Asha, and Race remarked, impressed.
"Quite a remarkable man, isn't he?"
"Always thinking on his feet, that shows what kind of young man he is in today's world," Doug and Delilah quipped.
"Well, I think George is a bit too impulsive," Rotom-Dex admitted, feeling worried for George.
"But, at least it gives Lillie a chance to build up her self-confidence. I mean, she was amazing during the play so why wouldn't she take this daunting leap forward?" Sarah smiled.
"NO FAIR! I wanna be on TV, too!" Ash whined, feeling jealous of the three girls being chosen to act on TV and not him.
"Oh, brother..."
"Dear Arceus, give us strength," groaned Umbreon and his daughters in annoyance.
"You snooze, you lose, you Kanto muppet," sniggered Silvally, relishing in Ash's despair and jealousy.
"Ash, shut up," snarked Tyson in annoyance towards the jealous Kanto trainer.
"Hey, look! Here comes Karpy!"
"She's back to continue filming!"
"I wonder if they found an Everstone for her," Zap, Splattertail, and Goggles chirped, seeing Carla and Karpy return to resume filming while the film crew got ready and the assistant director went to everyone in the crowd.
"Excuse us, people! We apologize for the inconvenience but we're just about ready to begin filming again so please, keep quiet," he informed as Karpy was preparing to do the scene again with Yungoos and the film crew but was still worried about her impending evolution.
"Is Karpy alright...?" the director asked Carla, remembering the surprise reveal about her evolution by Sarah.
"Never better! Right, Karpy, my dear?" Carla dismissed, giving an innocent smile as she tried to wave off what she had been told by the princess about Karla's impending evolution earlier in production.
"Uh... Y-Yes, Carla, o-of course, huh..." Karpy stammered before sighing, worrying about her possible evolution into Gyarados that Sarah warned her about.
"I wouldn't be so sure, lady. As they always say, 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch,'" Sarah thought as Karpy, Yungoos, and the crew began shooting again. "But, then again, I suppose experience is the best teacher..."
Either way, taking Sarah's words with a grain of salt, the crew began filming once more as the crowd watched on with anticipation. To everyone's surprise, as she acted out her part and started crying, she suddenly started to flash and it was becoming more noticeable to everyone as they saw her glowing more rapidly.
"She flashed! I saw her flash!" Kiawe blinked while Sarah just nodded knowingly at Karpy.
"*I knew it. Karpy's evolving and there was no Everstone found and put on her,*" thought the princess gravely as she looked on worriedly at Karpy while the director, Carla, and Ash gasped in shock.
Karpy glistened in the bright light she was now engulfed in as her form changed from the Magikarp she once was and was now a blue and cream dragon-like figure that many know as the Atrocious Pokemon, Gyarados. Karpy's evolution shocked everybody gathered as they didn't know what to say until she roared several times, causing the crowd of panicked fans to flee faster than mice did upon seeing a cat while Sarah, her entire family, Ash, Kiawe, Rotom, Sophocles, and Pikachu were the only ones left.
"S-S-She just evolved into Gyarados as Sarah said!" the director cried.
"Karpy?" gulped Carla as she tried to approach Karpy.
The evolved Pokemon was taken aback by her new body and looked like she was ready to panic while looking herself all over until an antenna came over and attached itself to her head, shocking Karpy with electricity and startling her, "Karpy!"
"What's going on?!" Ash cried in alarm before everybody heard some familiar laughs and then a snarky chorus of, "It's...showtime!"
Then, Team Rocket appeared to use and capture Karpy, shocking the heroes as they blurted out, "Team Rocket/Team Rocket/Team Rocket!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Stop it!"
"You're hurting Ms. Karpy!" Zap, Goggles, and Splattertail protested.
"Just trying to get a hit on the big screens with our new star!"
"And, while you're at it, you can-!" James and Meowth sneered until Karpy started thrashing in genuine panic and knocked the antennae off her and whacked Team Rocket out of the way.
"What's the big idea, ditching us when we're about to hit the big top?!"
"Guess that Mad Mod rip-off doesn't have a nose for talent!"
"Sure got a punch not wanting to share the spotlight!"
"WE'LL BE BACK!"
"COUNT ON IT!" Team Rocket screamed as they soon disappeared.
"Well, that was anti-climatic," Race quipped as everybody stared in dumbfounded confusion.
"Trying to get on the big screen my ass," snorted Asha in agreement.
"Crime doesn't pay, as they always say. I suppose they're not going to be television or movie stars anytime soon," Cobalt sighed.
"It's a good thing Karpy's strong enough to kick them out of the lot," Appletun remarked with a relieved smile.
"Yeah, but, I'm worried she's still not taking her evolution well," Fennekin reminded as they saw Karpy witnessing the effects of her evolution and growing more panicked over what happened to her before she thrashed about in her confusion with a freaked-out roar as she scrambled off.
"KARPY! KARPY!" Carla shouted, still trying to soothe her horrorstruck Gyarados but to no avail as everyone else bolted through, over, or under the fence they were standing behind and watched Karpy rushing off in such a state before they decided to help her calm down.
"Let's go, too!" Kiawe shouted.
"Right!" Ash and Sophocles nodded.
"Our apologies, Sir!"
"Please forgive us!" Doug and Delilah said to the director.
"After them!"
"We gotta do something!"
"Quick, follow that rogue Gyarados!"
"Her name is Karpy and it's not her fault!" Nico, Apollo, Wyveon, and Sarah shouted as everyone chased after the terrified and confused Karpy as she continued to thrash about.
"Yeah, blame those Team Rocket meanies!"
"They tried to capture her after she evolved! And, blame her ugly manager for not understanding her plight!"
"And, she had no control over her evolution that Auntie said would happen!" Splattertail, Zap, and Goggles agreed, feeling the most worried for Karpy as they lead the charge to help the evolved Pokemon TV star.
"Whatever!"
"AWOOGA!" Veneon and Craggeon along with Starla retorted as they vanished.
As they left, the director of Little Magikarp's Melody could only sigh in defeat as he only muttered, "Another day of wasted daylight..."
Meanwhile, Mallow, Lillie, and Lana's fast-track rehearsals for their part in the Fresh Three TV show were just beginning as they joined George in a room used by TV, movie, and musical casts for prep rehearsals before getting onto the set in the main studio while their Pokemon watched. They and their Pokemon were about to get the lowdown behind the episode they'll be doing in Fresh Tree as the replacement leads with Primarina, Sandy, Tsareena, Shaymin, and Snowy taking part in it as per George's request.
"By the way, exactly what kind of TV program is Fresh Tree as Julie and Jack put it?" Lillie asked, wanting to know the show they'll be acting for.
"Actually, the official program title of it is, 'The Refreshing Trio - Alola Idols!'," George clarified while he held the readied scripts for them, getting stumped looks out of the girls as they stared at him. "I see, I suppose I may have to help wrap your heads around it."
"What does 'Refreshing Trio' mean?" puzzled Lana.
"It's about a team of three young girls protecting Alola's peace, transforming with their favorite drink!"
"So, we're TV superheroes instead of being our ranger selves in real life?" gasped Mallow, looking delighted.
"Right, but this will be a little different compared to what you and your friends are used to when you're the Power Rangers Ultra Rescue. Here are your scripts. And, here are yours, too," George confirmed, giving the girls and their Pokemon their scripts so they can begin rehearsing their lines.
"Really?" Snowy puzzled curiously.
"Alright, let's start rehearsing. And, action!" George directed, giving the girls the green light to begin.
"Perfection in Pink!"
"Glittering Sapphire-no, wait, that's not right. Sparkling Sapphire!"
"And, Glostening Cold-uh, Gold!"
"It's the Refreshing Trio, we're the Alola Idols!"
George smiled as he saw what he was looking for and guided them through their approach, "Excellent, nice! Now, once again with that same energy. You'll get it."
"Right!" the girls smiled determinedly.
Acting for a TV show is a daunting leap forward for all of them and Mallow, Lana, and Lillie knew they were a little out of place with their transformation and intro as the Refreshing Trio. But, knowing they had each other and now having fun with their parts despite their nerves while remembering Sophocles' experience on Alola Pokemon Quiz, they were eager to show what they're capable of on television and prepared to give it their all for the shoot. And so, their rehearsal continued with the same energy they managed to display.
Meanwhile, a still-terrified Karpy was running rampant, roaring and crying in panic, fear, and denial of what had become of her as Sarah, her family, Kiawe, Ash, Sophocles, Pikachu, Togedemaru, and Carla tried to keep up with her to try and calm her down. But, it was a little tricky for them to keep pace with the newly-evolved Gyarados given how she was much faster in her new body and her emotions were running high after she was horrorstruck to see how much she had changed from the Magikarp she once was.
"She's going too fast! We can't keep up with her!" Thunder shouted.
"She may not be in the water right now but I've never imagined a Gyarados like her to sprint on land!"
"Apart from Milotic, Blossom, Flicka, and Flipper, Bro?"
"Yep!" Wu and Wei bantered admittingly.
"Ms. Clara, before all this, did you and the film crew for your show notice anything strange about Ms. Karpy prior to her evolution?" Tsukumaro inquired Carla.
Still flustered over Karpy's evolution, Carla told him, "I thought maybe her tail had grown recently in between shoots! But, I never imagined that was what it was about when that girl of yours barged in and disrupted filming to check on her, my cute little Karpy!"
"Master, Princess, everyone, up ahead!" gasped Absol as everybody saw another film crew with a news reporter ahead of them.
"This is bad, they're filming something over there!" gasped Kiawe.
"We got it, man! Starlight, Zorya, let's go!"
"Yeah/Got it!" Eclipse, Starlight, and Zorya nodded as they raced over to the film crew and news reporter.
"Hi, I'm Anna, your TV announcer! It's a-WAH!" the actress began before she and her crew were saved by the three younger Night Furies in time before Karpy darted past and trampled on them in her panic.
"WAIT!" everybody shouted as they followed.
"Karpy, come back!" Sarah screamed as Anna and her film crew were safely put down in their normal spots.
"Sorry, Miss!"
"Just a little inconvenience we're taking care of!"
"Hope you guys can forgive us all and Karpy!" Eclipse, Starlight, and Zorya apologized before they rejoined the chase, leaving the announcer and her crew to watch them and their family and friends going after Karpy in surprise as they blinked.
"She's heading for the main studio!" Skystorm cried in alarm.
"Too late, she's barging in!" Tidal shouted as Karpy entered the studio, catching the officer standing at the entrance off guard as he watched her in bewilderment while everybody else gathered at the entrance.
"I can't believe it!"
"She went inside the building!" Ash and Rotom-Dex shouted.
"We got to stop her and calm her down before she makes a mess out of everything! She's already taking it bad enough after seeing how much she had changed following her evolution, come on!" Sarah shouted as they continued the chase.
As all of this was going on, Alola Pokemon Quiz was on the air again with Noah and his Pikipek now with the show's last remaining competitor and her Pokemon partner, Oricorio (Pa'u Style). The end of the finals was about to begin as he and his competition were about to take on the final question of the round until one of them wins with a correct answer and receives a grand prize from the quiz game show. Amazingly, Noah and his competitor blazed through the finals with correct answers in a storm and as of right now, both of them are in a tie game.
"Hey! We're back with Alola Pokemon Quiz, the final round! When we last left our contestants, they were both one question away from victory but only one of them can claim our grand prize so let's get it on!" the TV host for Alola Pokemon Quiz announced as the show was back on the air. "Our top competitor, Noah, needs only one more correct answer for our final question to win it all!"
Everybody waited with bated breath as a silhouette of a Gyarados appeared on the screen and the host asked, "And, here's the money shot: Who's that Pokemon?"
"Pikipek!" Noah called, ready with his final correct answer as Pikipek immediately rang his and Noah's buzzer.
"And, you're up, Noah!"
"It's Gyarados!"
"That is corre-!"
No sooner did Noah get his final correct answer and the host began to make his announcement for Noah's win that Karpy suddenly barged into the game show set and scared the daylights out of Noah, Pikipek, his final competitor, her Oricorio, and the TV host as she continued to rush through the studio with Sarah, her friends, her family, and Carla still chasing her. They passed the bewildered sextet but not before Sophocles sent him a word of congratulations for his final answer in friendly sportsmanship and Sarah sent the small party an apology for the unexpected disturbance.
"You're correct, you win it!"
"Our apologies! We're trying to take care of Karpy right now after a little problem she's having. Oh, congratulations, Noah!" the two smiled before they left, surprising Noah as Comfey awarded him with his final floral necklace for his winning Alola Pokemon Quiz and the show's final question.
Back with the girls and George, the rehearsals were going smoothly as Mallow, Lillie, and Lana were finally getting their roles down and were able to perform their lines without hesitation and no cocking about with George's guidance until their lines and their actions in coordination with them became second nature to the trio.
"Perfection in Pink!"
"Glittering Sapphire!"
"And, Glistening Gold!"
"It's the Refreshing Trio, we're the Alola Idols!" They declared, finally perfecting their acting for their first scene much to George's satisfaction.
"That's nice! Excellent, that was perfect!" he smiled, applauding them for the success of their first scene.
"All right!" Lana, Mallow, and Lillie cheered, feeling satisfied and excited about their improved acting and the successful execution of their first scene.
"Now, let's move on to the next scene."
"Right!"
But, rehearsals would have to wait a moment for the group as with a loud bang, and to the girls' surprise, they, their Pokemon, and George were greeted by the evolved Karpy as she barged into the rehearsal room and faced them down. But, while the girls and their Pokemon were in her sights, her attention was strictly on George the moment she entered.
"What in the world is going on?!" gasped Lillie, surprised and bewildered.
"Gyarados, it's so cool!" Lana blinked in fascination, stunned at the sight of the Atrocious Pokemon but not recognizing that it was actually Karpy after evolving just as everybody else chasing her entered (as Eternatus and some of the other larger Pokemon too big to fit inside the studio have resorted to staying outside in the meantime).
"Whoa/Are you guys alright?" Ash and Sophocles breathed, the latter concerned for the girls.
"Karpy, please! Calm down!" Sarah called as she joined her best friends and George as Karpy eyed the Alolan Detective Laki producer and she happily roared and flopped in front of him, much to everyone's surprise.
"George! My old friend, did you hear? I heard from Princess Sarah that I was due to evolve earlier and she's right! Aside from that, it's been so long! I've missed you! We never get to hang out and talk with one another as we usually do! How have you been, darling?" she roared with glee and happiness to her supposed old friend.
"Karpy!" George smiled at the Gyarados.
"But, she evolved into Gyarados after filming for Little Magikarp's Melody resumed after Sarah checked on her condition so how did you know it was really her?" Rotom-Dex asked in confusion, not getting what he was seeing.
"That's easy, she moved exactly like Karpy did."
"Indeed!" Karpy laughed as she gave George a happy snort as he petted her snout.
"Amazing!" quipped an amazed and impressed Sophocles.
"Wow, George, I didn't know you and Karpy were old friends! You two must've worked together at some point when Karpy first entered the studio and was chosen to be the star of her own show!" blinked Sarah in wonder and awe.
"Wow, you've grown so huge since we last met and worked together. When I first met her when she auditioned and got the part for Little Magikarp's Melody, Karpy was only this big before she became the Pokemon star she is now. My, and look at you and how you evolved. Excellent."
"Something on your mind, George, dearie?" Karpy questioned, knowing what George is thinking given the bond between them and the work they did throughout their time on Alola TV.
"It's almost time to make TV magic unlike anything else we've ever done before," he informed her before turning to everyone else with a special proposition of his for his big idea in mind. "Would you all mind giving me a hand with this?"
Everyone was surprised and amazed but they all couldn't help but wonder what George has in mind regarding Karpy and his big idea.
Days passed and it was now the 10th of May on a sunny Tuesday and everyone was at Sarah and her family's home in their home theater to watch the Refreshing Trio: Alola Idols episode featuring Lana, Mallow, Lillie, and their Pokemon along with Karpy as the show's special guest. Everyone (mysticals included) was excited to see the end result of George's big idea involving them while they were waiting in anticipation as the little princess turned to the channel the show would be airing on, eager for the show to finally start.
"Boy, when you guys said this George character acts on his impulses on anything in his work medium, you weren't kidding!" Storm remarked in surprise as everybody readied themselves with some snacks, popcorn, and soda.
"And, to think, Mallow, Lillie, and Lana's silver lining in the spotlight grew with the addition of Karpy the Gyarados," Telsa smirked, impressed.
"Not to mention that guy jumped at the opportunity to have her act out in the episode they would be featured in after evolving!" Will chuckled.
"I wanna act in a TV show next time!"
"Me, too!"
"Me, three!" Felix, Cosmo, and Lyla chirped eagerly as they huddled with him and their mother, Wanda.
"Meow wow! This upcoming episode you're gonna be in will be awesome!" Wild roared excitedly to Mallow, Lillia, and Lana.
"That was pawsome when you mentioned how George picked you out after the team behind the show ran into some trouble!" smiled Shade brightly.
"When's the episode gonna start?"
"Yeah, don't keep us in suspense, guys! What's it and the show about?" Anga and Swoop begged, unable to hold their excitement as they rested on their human master's heads while drinking from two soda hats they wore on and had strapped to their heads.
"You'll see, it's about to start now," smirked Sarah as the commercials ended and the Refreshing Trio: Alola Idols TV show began.
"Wow, here we go!" Ash cheered.
"I admit... I'm a little bit nervous," Lillie whimpered as she and Snowy shook violently, their nerves getting the better of them.
"Yeah!" Sophocles smiled knowingly.
"Don't sweat it, girlfriend! You and your besties are gonna be real hits with everybody and even your families are gonna fawn over you when they see you in action on the small screen! This episode, if successful, will be making the front page for weeks!" Liberty bragged reassuringly.
"Yeah, you were all great!" Snowflake cooed happily to Snowy.
"It'll be fine, Lillie, dear," smiled Delilah soothingly.
"I wonder how it'll turn out," Lana added, eagerly awaiting the episode to begin.
"This is gonna be great!"
"It'll be a hit once everybody sees it across Alola!"
"Maybe worldwide should it be aired everywhere else where there's streaming and cable involved!" Twilight and Dawn (Deathgrippers) along with Thunderailer cried ecstatically as the show was finally airing its latest episode.
"The Refreshing Trio: Alola Idols!" the girls voiced over the title screen from within the show.
In the episode, the first scene featured Mallow in a schoolgirl's uniform with Shaymin riding on her head and Tsareena running next to her and a backpack in hand while she was eating a piece of toast in her mouth. Akin to the first moments of the original Sailor Moon anime with Usagi running late for school, Mallow was also late for school and she and her Pokemon were rushing to make it on time.
"Oh no, I'm gonna be late!" she fretted with her mouth full.
"Hurry! You're already late!" called Lana as she and Lillie waited in the schoolyard with their Pokemon (Lillie holding Snowy and Lana having Primarina beside her and Sandy riding on her left shoulder) as the two of them were already in their own school uniforms, waiting for their friend to join them.
"Sorry, sorry!"
"If we don't go quickly and get to class on time, the teacher will be mad at us for being late!" Lillie added before they all scrambled to get to class before the final bell would ring for late arrivals.
"Hey, you three are good," Sophocles commented, impressed by the three girls' acting.
"Good, you all really think so?" Lillie blinked in surprise despite her nerves still playing up.
"So natural!"
"It seemed as though it was second nature to you girls!"
"George made a good choice in casting you three as stand-ins for the original actresses," Kiawe, Asha, and Race replied.
"You're on a roll!"
"You're fantastic!"
"Ditto!" said Pyro, Phanpy, and Avel.
"Thank you," smiled Mallow.
Then, everybody watched with anticipation as the scene changed to the girls and their Pokemon noticing that the path to the school complex in the school grounds was full of holes that were blasted recently and without warning.
'What happened here?' Mallow asked, seeing the disaster.
'Those holes are so deep, people could fall inside them and get hurt!'
'Who would do such a horrible thing?' Lillie and Lana added, seeing how serious things were regarding the holes and the hazard level they presented.
A large shadow soon loomed over them as the girls and their Pokemon wondered who the culprit could be. They noticed the shadow and turned to its owner and there was Karpy the Gyarados, coming down on them in a special bad guy costume made for her (as she was playing opposite her new friends as the bad guy/villainess of the episode), causing them to scream and run out of the way as she hit the ground and gave a menacing roar towards the heroines.
Everyone gasped and cried in surprise and excitement as they saw Karpy making her debut in the episode while Raven commented with a grin, "Nice."
"Hey, there she is!"
"Amazing!"
"Sweet!"
"Scary good!" the Niffler Quartet gasped with happy screams while they eat their popcorn.
"Well done! Excellent entrance as a villainess by this Karpy here, excellent!" Arcanine complimented as Tundra nodded in agreement with an impressed grin on her face.
"Karpy, wow!"
"So cool!" Ash and Pikachu cheered, also seeing Karpy in her costume and remembering how he, Kiawe, and Sophocles helped George in making her costume.
[Flashback]
"You know, at times like this, that's when something brand-new and exciting you have no idea yet is about to take place!" smiled the producer, Ash having Sophocles on his shoulders while he and Kiawe used a large brush and red paint to paint Karpy's yellow parts red, getting a smile out of her along with some red paint by accident.
[End Flashback]
'Gyarados, did you do this?!' Lillie demanded as Karpy's character gave a threatening roar at the three female protagonists and their Pokemon.
'I see... There's no chance, however, you'll terrorize our school and everyone in it while we're here! Now, it's our turn!' Mallow declared as Sandy, her Shaymin, and Snowy came with a teacup, a bottle, and a juice cup respectively, chirping happily.
Taking their drinks, the girls called out, 'Refreshing, bottoms up!'
[Music: Moon Prism Power/Sailor Scout Transformation or Sailor Crystal Power Transformation - Sailor Moon (DIC Dub) or Sailor Moon Super S (Viz/Japanese Dub)]
Mallow winked to the viewers before she, Lana, and Lillie drank their refreshments. Then, she transforms into a magical pink heroine while she first declared (with Shaymin and Tsareena nodding to each other as they flew around her while having trailing pink stripes behind them and wore a headband and tiara respectively), 'Fragrance, okay... Aroma, the invigorating essence... So sweet! Tea...Ice-cold!'
'The best!' Shaymin and Tsareena agreed with a cheer. Next, it was Lillie's character's turn as she transformed into a magical blue heroine (with Snowy flying around her while an arctic blue stripe trails her before she was given her own tiara akin to the one Lillie is now wearing on her transformed hair) and declared, 'Refreshing! (Superior!) Bubbly! (Delish!) What's the best drink? (This is, this is...!)'
'A succulent special!' Snowy cooed.
Finally, it was Lana character's turn as she transformed into a magical yellow heroine (and gave Primarina and Sandy yellow pineapple earrings and armbands for their front arms and front forelegs after flying around her and having yellow stripes trailing them), 'Pinap Juice, is it sour? Is it sweet, is it both? It's kissed by the sun, golden hearts! And, it's so refreshing!'
'A real treat to beat the heat!' Sandy and Primarina cried ecstatically.
'Pitter-patting Pink!'
'Sparkling Sapphire!
' 'And, Glistening Gold!'
'The Refreshing Trio, we're the Alola Idols!' the three girls finished as they presented themselves in their anime hero girl personas and their Pokemon cheered as they joined their partners with Sandy, Shaymin, and Snowy in front of them and Primarina and Tsareena beside them from their right and left.
"Oh, brother... Really, that's what this is about?" Eternatus groaned, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Pretty...!"
"Super pretty!" Snowflake and Stufful cheered, their eyes twinkling after seeing the girls and their Pokemon in their TV get-ups.
"Super shiny-shiny!" the Niffler Quartet chirped with a cheer as they had to be restrained by Aku, Desme, Estu, and Flurrywing before they can make their way to the movie screen (without realizing that the anime hero girl outfits they were wearing on screen are strictly tv show/movie costumes from Alola TV).
"That looks like something out of those anime hero girl things Aunt Sarah showed us," Tou-Tou remarked.
"Oh, my Thor, that is so girly! Even though it's cool," Zap grimaced along with Pouncer, Pyre, Wildfire, Viper, Sunset, Ocean, and Tidal as they shivered.
"You have to admit, though, they do look kinda sexy," Rocky (Shovelhelm) admitted before he was slapped by some of his fellow dragons as they angrily admonished him, "ROCKY!", making him grimace as he retorted, "What?! I was just making a statement about the girls in their outfits!"
"A comment that doesn't bode well for the kids should you give them ideas after that!" Haze snorted in annoyance.
"That's why you'll never catch Mother wearing a stupidly-gaudy skirt like that!" Silvally commented.
"Wow, that scene you guys did was so awesome!" Ash grinned brightly as Pikachu drank his soda.
"You really think so?"
"We practiced this one over and over," Lillie and Mallow replied as their Pokemon continued to eat their popcorn.
Getting back to the episode, everybody watched as Lana, Mallow, Lillie, and Karpy got on with their fight scene (the climax of the episode they were watching), the girls being sent flying before Karpy fired a Hydro Pump at them. Explosions in multi-colored smoke went off as, realizing the danger they were in, the Alola Idols darted through a rocky valley outcrop on three motorbikes they were now riding on to draw Karpy's baddie away from the school to where they can have their battle away from the endangered public. They kept on riding away until they stopped and they could really begin their fight with Mallow issuing a challenge for Karpy's character, 'Alright, Gyarados! It's just you and us now, give it up!'
Karpy's character roared defiantly as she unleashed a powerful Flamethrower at them, one that got a proud smile out of Kiawe as he recalled teaching the friendly star-studded Atrocious Pokemon how to use the powerful Fire Type attack for the episode.
"Hey, I know this one! We helped Karpy to learn Flamethrower," Kiawe remarked as they watched the girls jumping up and dodging the attack with their Pokemon.
'Here we go!' Mallow called to her comrades.
'Right!' Lana and Lillie agreed as they prepared a group attack with their Pokemon.
'On Alola's lands...!'
'...In Alola's seas...'
'...In Alola's skies!' they shouted, conjuring up three hearts from their hands as they tapped into their powers, the hearts combining into one heart as it sent out pink, yellow, and blue beams as Shaymin, Snowy, and Sandy got onto their partners' shoulders and Primarina and Tsareena stood next to Mallow and Lana by either their right or left.
'Give us power! Alola, Thank YouL Sundae Sunrise!' the girls declared as the beams converged to create a final heart, more beams being fired from their hands before they landed a powerful hit on Karpy's bad guy and causing her to fall to the ground after an explosion, defeated.
'And so, the battle is over and our Alola Refreshing Trio has saved the day with the defeat of the Angry Gyarados! But, will they make it to their first class of the day on time?'
"Awesome!"
"That was crazy, you guys!" Snowflake and Eevee cheered, praising Sandy, Primarina, and Snowy as the male Eevee hollered happily and the latter humbly blushed while Primarina giggled.
"Way to nail it with the others, Sissy!" Sarah's Shaymin smirked proudly as he went over to Mallow's Shaymin and gave her a noogie, making the female Gratitude Pokemon laugh while everybody applauded.
"Roarsome, girls!" Leo applauded.
"Puuurfect!" Rory added.
"Great stuff!" Ash and Kiawe beamed at the girls and their Pokemon.
"You guys are the coolest!" Sophocles agreed.
"Absolutely marvelous, ladies!" Doug chimed in, impressed.
"I told you everything will be alright," smiled Delilah to Lillie who smiled brightly.
"You really think so? Because we're..."
"The Refreshing Trio! We're the Alola Idols!" they declared while striking their poses after getting in front of the home movie theater screen before Lillie gasped and Mallow and Lana did the same as they remembered something they apparently had on the back of their minds.
"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot!"
"Me, too!"
"Right, we're not finished yet!" they realized before zipping off and getting a video tape, surprising everybody as Lana quickly inserted it into a VHS player and they returned to their seats.
"What's with the video, girls?" Terrakion asked curiously.
"This is part of what George had planned for us with that episode, Terrakion! He loved all the work we did so much, he asked Sarah, Asha, and Race along with two Pokemon each from them to do a short video just for us!" grinned Lillie.
"And, it's a twist on one of the episodes of the New Three Stooges TV show Sarah introduced to all of us on the internet!" Mallow added.
"It's so funny with all of us in it!" Lana giggled as the video then played.
From the videotape given to everyone as a 'Thank You' gift from George for their and Karpy's help in the making of the latest episode of Refreshing Trio: Alola Idols, the episode that was played was a particular parody of the New Three Stooges animated short episode, "Aloha Ha Ha", and this time, Sarah, Asha, and Race along with two of their Pokemon are the main stars with the others and Karpy being the background characters.
In the first scene of the episode, everyone sees Sarah, Asha, and Race portraying Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly-Joe DeRita running somewhere in the jungles of Melemele Island as if they were running late for something important. Joining the trio are Blitz and Silvally, Proud and Zircon, and Robbie and Bella to provide additional comic relief for the group.
'Step on it you, dodo heads, we're gonna miss the feast!'
'Don't blame me if our boat was late arriving after that stupid whitey of a muppet held us up, wiseguy.'
'I still say we shouldn't have paddled to shore, Sis. We should've waited for the rest of our party rather than pull off that premature exit.'
'When somebody throws a party in your honor, Asha, it's not nice to keep them waiting. It's just not in our system,' the three trainers bantered.
'I wonder where I heard that before.'
'Nobody, I'd reckon.'
'You can say that again...' Silvally, Bella, and Zircon remarked as they kept on going until they came across Terrakion who was playing a village chief.
'Excuse us, Sir, but are we late for the feast you're putting together?' Sarah asked Terrakion.
'You're just in time, kid. We've everything ready and we're just about to begin. Start the feast!' Terrakion replied before he made the announcement to his tribe with the rest of Sarah's family along with all her friends and their Pokemon as they all cheered. 'It'd be a real treat having you all for dinner.'
'Thank you, Sir, we're starving!' Sarah smiled until the next scene showed...
...To their shock, disbelief, and surprise, Sarah, Asha, and Race's characters and their Pokemon found themselves inside several large pots for each of them to fit in. They had unintentionally become the feast for the tribe they were joining and unlike the tribe, they were not happy.
'So are we, fellas!' Terrakion said as he laughed at the group's misfortune.
'Uh-oh, we landed on the wrong island.'
'You can say that again, this is so embarrassing,' Ziracon and Robbie either peeped or groaned while hitting their heads on the pot's surface in annoyance.
'All set for the fires, boys? Light 'em up!' Terrakion continued to his tribe.
'Unreal, are those guys really gonna eat us?!'
'I'd say that hungry look those freaks are all giving us are the dead giveaway, you blithering idiot,' Blitz and Silvally bantered with the Synthetic Pokemon giving a little head bonk to the Alolan Mouse Pokemon before turning to Terrakion indignantly. 'Hey, Big Shot for Rocks, what's the big idea with having us for a stupid feast instead of real food? We don't even taste good!'
'Oh, my people and I are not the ones that'll decide when to eat you. We'd best leave it to our goddess with us, the one we call: The Furious Dragon,' chuckled Terrakion as he introduced Karpy's new character who was dressed up as some kind of Hawaiian dragon goddess as she came up alongside him.
'That paparazzi lizard with you?'
'I'll accept that, I guess,' Silvally and Bella replied.
'Prove it, then! Even if she is the real major-domo here, dragons can't talk!' snorted Proud doubtfully.
'Well, I'm glad you asked. Let me demonstrate for you; Oh, Great Furious Dragon, shall we cook and eat our visitors from Hollywood on the West?'
Karpy's character gave off an approving roar as she fired off a Flamethrower into the sky, making Terrakion chuckle again as he told the group, 'That's that, she said, 'Eat up and enjoy yourselves'.'
'I knew she would,' sighed Bella.
'Tell that old hag of a dragon we wish to speak with the ambassador shipped over from America for this place!' Silvally spat just as Karpy roared in response while giving off another Flamethrower to the sky.
'So, what did she say?' Blitz inquired, worried about the answer they'll get.
Terrakion chuckled as he replied, '*Sorry, fellas, she mentioned we ate him about two days ago for a previous feast. She's quite the 'Mrs. Chuckles' once you get to know her, heh.*'
'...You really find that funny?' Bella gulped fearfully.
'Nice going, you simpleton of a Frankenstein,' groaned Robbie in annoyance at the Synthetic Pokemon.
'You can't do this to us! I'm too young to be boiled and eaten like Ox Tail Soup! Eat Silvally and Blitz, they're delicious and they make a great meal and appetizer! There's enough of them here for everybody!' panicked Zircon as he scapegoated Sarah's partners who glared indignantly at him.
'Hey!'
'You really know how to hurt a guy, Zircon,' the two Pokemon retorted to the male Altaria with the male Alolan Pikachu crossing his arms in a huff.
'Wait, Chief, hold it! Let's talk about this!'
'Yeah, you can't do this to us!'
'Give us a fair chance to sort this out, will ya?' Sarah, Asha, and Race protested.
'Hmm... Alright, we'll have a contest between one of you and one of us, our Little Tiny. If you win, you're free as a flock of birds. If you lose, however, it's dinnertime for us! How about it, deal?'
'It's a deal,' Sarah stated as the scene changes with the group now out of their pots and ready for Terrakion's challenge. 'Alright, Chief, bring out Little Tiny!'
'Our girl will clobber him good,' Race added.
Terrakion smirked before he said and gestured to someone behind them, 'That's him behind him, you can fight him now.'
'Okay, wise guy! Bring it on, put 'em...up?' Asha began as the humans prepared to fight until they saw that Little Tiny is Eternatus in a Hawaiian giant's costume, glaring at them
'Little Tiny?! You call that giant 'LITTLE TINY'?' Blitz shrieked in shock, causing the audience in the movie theater to laugh heartily while Eternatus groaned in embarrassment as he blushed heavily and turned away.
"Why did I agree to be a part of that stupid thing, anyway?!" he whined.
"You did fit for the part of Little Tiny like in the original cartoon. Makes sense since you're the Gigantic Pokemon, right?" Sarah replied knowingly as the episode went on.
'Go ahead, guys! Let 'im have it!'
'Take him down, Daddy!'
'Go get him!'
'Use your lefts, your rights! Anything!' Proud, Bella, Robbie, and Silvally cheered.
'You're all crazy; this guy's an absolute beast!' Asha snapped at the Pokemon.
'I think we should get back in the pots before he squashes us like a bunch of Caterpies,' Bella suggested fearfully, getting behind Robbie.
'Wait, I got a better idea here. Remember the time when we watched that 'David and Goliath' movie from 1960?' Sarah suggested.
'You're right, the old Rocking Sling bit!'
'Not bad, let's try it,' Asha and Race suggested, the Pokemon also agreeing to the suggestion.
'Okay, Little Tiny, take this!' Asha shouted as she threw a rock only for it to bounce off of Eternatus' head and leaving the powerful Dragon Type to roll his eyes and retaliate with a Flamethrower that scorched her all over, leaving her black safe for her eyes as she blinked and comically fell over before she was pounded by a palm tree (a fake tree) that was burned from its stump and crushed her in defeat.
Everybody laughed as Terrakion continued to smirk, 'Tough luck, my friends, you lose! Are you ready? We got a surprise for you...'
'I get it!'
'We're gonna be eaten!' Blitz and Zircon gulped fearfully.
'This sucks...' Silvally whimpered, finally losing his nerve.
'Sorry, we can't stay! Gotta go!' Sarah called as she grabbed her sister and Race and the three of them and their Pokemon bolted while screaming in total panic.
But, Terrakion laughed heartily as one of the tribes folk, played by Aqua, joined her chief as she pulled back some palm leaves from some nearby palm trees that hid a camera crew as she quipped, 'He was only going to say, 'Smile, you're on a hiding camera'.''
And, the episode ended with one final scene featuring Karpy as she let out another Flamethrower while giving off a hearty laugh.
Everyone laughed, cheered, and applauded as they all sang their praises for the final product of George's gift to them all.
"YAY! AUNTIE SARAH, AUNTIE ASHA, UNCLE RACE, YOU ROCK!" Mai cheered as she bounced up and down excitedly.
"Funny!" Olle laughed as she rolled side-to-side on her back, unable to control her laughter.
"You all were great in that video!" Nikki smiled brightly at her and Delilah's daughters.
"Even you weren't so bad, Eternatus! You nailed Little Tiny so perfectly!"
"Yeah, you looked like you were modeled after him!" Swoop and Anga chirped to Eternatus who continued to groan and blush heavily in embarrassment.
"Oh, Blitzy, you were absolutely perfect on screen!" Curly gushed to her boyfriend and future mate.
"Oh... Uh, gee, Curly... Well, uh," Blitz stuttered as he tried to come up with a response, "I, I mean, uh... I'm glad you liked it, really..."
"Like it? I love it, it's like you were meant for the big screen," Curly continued as she hugged Blitz and gave him a kiss, causing him to feel lost and elated in his growing love for her as he had a goofy smile on his face (with a hearty blush) and hearts coming out of him while swooning.
At times like this, something new and exciting can really take place! So, let's all take on every challenge that comes along!