Today, we find our heroine along with her friends and family on the 10th of June on Adventure Bay Beach, having arrived via an invitation by Asha's grandparents, Johnathan and Diane, to celebrate the Summer Festival with them which as a festival based on the Japanese Shinto festival celebrating the beginning of summer called a Natsu Matsuri.
Joining them are Kukui and Burnet and Ash and the Pokemon School Gang as the latter two decided to make this an educational field trip for them all and they are joined by Lusamine and Mohn for the two of them would be spending a long-awaited family trip with Gladion and Lillie, the first one they've ever had since the latter's return to Alola.
Once again, the Mane 5, Edge Blade, and Misty joined in on the festivities as Siren, Sugarcoat, Sugarcake, Hawlucha, Bounsweet (joined by Hitch's animal companions), Swanna, and Maractus were looking in awe and wonder at the sights of the Natsu Matsuri before them along with an awestruck Sparky and Petunia.
The Riders and their dragons and Pokemon were also taken in by the summer festival buzz as they rejoined our heroes to take part in their latest exposure to human world celebrations, the group being joined by Stoick, Gobber, and Zenna's parents and the former two's Partner Pokemon for the first time in a while. With no news about Humdinger and the Kitten Catastrophe Crew causing trouble, for now, the PAW Patrol and Ryder were joining in on the festivities as well.
Everyone was excited as they took in the summer buzz while some of them helped with setting up the stands, decorations, and entertainment for the festival with Mallow and Lana making a humorous jab at Sarah and Race, cheekily telling the pair that it would be a way for them to celebrate their engagement six months after they made their hook-up official much to their humiliation and embarrassment.
We've arrived at Adventure Beach in Adventure Bay as the sun rises to greet the upcoming Summer Festival!
The final preparations were complete as everybody taking part in the Natsu Matsuri had just finished setting up carnival-style games and food stands all over the beach and the town while the festival grounds were decorated and dotted with paper lanterns and safely-erected bonfires. Amongst the Pokemon and citizens finishing up the preparations, a Wigglytuff had set up Pokemon balloons on its own stand, a Lombre had set up Pokemon masks to help sell to passerbys and festival-goers, a Mudkip had set up a drink stand with a variety of drinks to offer to the guests, a Snorunt is making ice cream including shaved ice, and a Swablu is making Pokemon prize bags.
Jupiter, Gleam, and Mint Burn also joined in on the fun by setting up and running their own festival food stand offering treats such as Pokepuffs, Masaladas, sweets, and much, much more.
Everywhere you look, there are balloons, masks, refreshing juices, ice-blended juices, and sweet candied floss for everyone! Yes, all this and more is here for a reason for today the day of the Pokemon Summer Festival!
"Whoa..."
"Holy Medusa..."
"Nice decor, that is."
"Magnificent!"
"Beautiful...!"
"Odin's beard, look at all of this!"
"Sick place!"
"Ditto!" Hiccup, Stoick, Gobber, Edgar, Henna, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut breathed in amazement and wonder as they looked at the stands and games along with the newly-errected musical stage set up around the beach and town while the Pokemon with them gave off awestruck coos and chirps as they looked around.
"It's all so beautiful!" Misty breathed as she looked at the stage and the decor, having never seen anything before her during her time with Opaline since her days as a filly under her "care".
"I had a feeling this would be a nice change of atmosphere after Opaline's drag of a castle," Edge Blade grinned, looking impressed while the Fillies Three cheered and babbled as they each had a cherry pack in their hooves before they eagerly gobbled them up.
"I can't believe we're going to attend an actual Natsu Matsuri for the first time!"
"Yeah, check out all of the lanterns!"
"And, those yukatas everybody's wearing!" Harmony, Heart, and Tail chirped excitedly as the Dragonstone Patrol gasped in wonder at the stands and games that were set up and being prepped for everybody.
"The food must be really good on all those food stands, I can't wait to try them all!" Barley added, licking his chomps to see how the food being prepared at the food stands tastes with his eagerness to cook the food he wants to eat via inspiration taking him over.
"Are you sure you're not talking about eating the festival out of house and home?" chuckled James to the male Goberian.
"I hope not, the Pokemon and people here won't let us hear the end of it should he do so," Sarah joked.
"And, we couldn't be any happier to be hosting this year's Summer Festival with our special guests being you and your entire family along with your Viking friends, Princess Sarah," smiled Mayor Goodway with delight as she, Captain Turbot, Ryder, and the PAW Patrol joined the group while she wore a yukata of her own.
"Truer words never spoken, Mayor Goodway! Why, I have a feeling this pitch perfect performance will rock Adventure Bay this year with a dash of royal reality!" agreed Captain Turbot, sharing Mayor Goodway's excitement.
"We're greatly honored for you and our friends' grandparents to invite us over to this Natsu Matsuri, Madam Goodway," Doug beamed as he and Delilah bowed to the Adventure Bay mayor and her own friends.
"You're all doing us wonders in giving us another opportunity to spend some time with our baby and her friends," Delilah concurred warmly.
"Hmm, so this is what this Natsu Matsuri is like. Interesting, I've never seen anything like it," Mohn smiled as he walked with his family and looked around at the stands and games as well as hearing the music being played.
"I know you're going to love this festival, Mohn," Lusamine grinned.
"It's gonna be a blast with all of you here!"
"And, it'll be my first summer party, ever!" Chase and Cadence chirped happily.
"Remind me again why you dragged me all the way here from home, pipsqueak?" Eternatus grumbled, brooding.
"Why else would I bring you here? You need to learn to have fun every now and then every time you forget and I wanted to show Hiccup and the others from the Barbaric Archipelago what they have been missing from the rest of the world including different cultures and such," the little princess replied matter-of-factly.
"Everything's ready, Mayor! All that's left for us to kick off the festival is the stage," Rocky told Mayor Goodway.
"Wonderful! This is going to be the best Natsu Matsuri Adventure Bay has ever seen!" Mayor Goodway gushed excitedly.
At that moment, a familiar trio of Pikachu joined by a pair of Cheering Pokemon, Plusle and Minum, run to the site of the festival, the five of them unable to contain the ever-growing excitement everyone is showing and their eagerness for the festivities begin.
Those ears, who are those Pokemon coming down the beach? ...It's Blitz, Curly, and Bella along with their friends, Plusle and Minum!
Captain Turbot chuckled as he saw the five Pokemon running happily along as he quipped while smiling at Plusle and Minum, "Well, it looks like your resident Mouse Pokemon found themselves some new friends as party-goers."
"Bananas! Bananas, fresh ripe bananas! Hurry, hurry! Get 'em while they're ripe!" the Corphish called from his banana stand to the party-goers and passerbys.
Corphish is selling some fabulously ripe bananas at his fruit stand
Corphish happily called for any customers to try out his bananas that he and his Pokemon and human friends in Adventure Bay picked out for his stand but unfortunately, he seemed to have attracted the wrong customer in a Snorlax, much to his bewilderment.
"Bwah! Oh, Snorlax, not you!" he yelped in shock and surprise at the Normal Type.
"Mmm, I like some bananas, please," Snorlax grinned, taking the banana pack the Ruffian Pokemon had in one of his claws and eating it with a smile before he chowed down on the other bananas much to the Water Type's chagrin.
"'Oi! Snorlax, you fat hungry cow, those bananas aren't for you alone! They're for everybody else, too! You're supposed to share them!"
But, the Sleeping Pokemon didn't care as he gave off a happy sigh and proceeded to turn heel and lay down for a snooze, causing Corphish to freak out in his horror and fail to escape before he was squashed underneath the now-sleeping Normal Type.
And, after a Snorlax eats, all it wants to do is sleep for hours on end
The poor Hoenn Water Type couldn't help but groan in misery as he managed to crawl out from underneath Snorlax and moan, "Ugh. Why me...?"
"Would you like some help with that, my friend?" Tsukumaro offered with a chuckle as he came over and pulled him out before he brandished his wand and used Reparo to fix up his banana stand and replenish with new bananas, amazing the Ruffian Pokemon.
"Goodness! Much obliged, young man, thank you! Heh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" he thanked the old advisor, laughing with glee as his fortunes turned around.
Meanwhile, some of the others were in the middle of the beach already fixing up the musical stage for the concerts and performances to be held that night.
And, this stage is where tonight's concert will be held but due to the amount of work needed to complete it and the time they have at hand, everybody is helping to build it
"That's it, everybody! Keep it up, steady as you go!" called Mayor Goodway, helping to supervise the final preparations for the stage as Rocky, Arcia, Cam, and Aurora worked together on the foundations of the stage and the electrical lighting.
"This stage is going to be the best thing we've ever built for a festival like this!"
"And, Azumarill of all Pokemon will soon be on it!" Rocky and Aurora beamed brightly.
"This'll be off the leash for the first big bang of the summer!" Liberty chimed in eagerly, wagging her tail.
Of course, being the carefree and excitable, fun-loving Pokemon they are, Plusle and Minum climbed up onto the stage's scaffolding before they reached a small piece of the stage that was hanging via rope akin to a swing and they sat on it before they began to swing and cheer as they played. Their playful squeals and laughs got the attention of Kenneth who chirped in surprise and bewilderment at them before he got Hitch's attention and pointed him to the Cheering Pokemon, causing him to panic for their safety.
"AH! No! No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Plusle, Minum, get down from there! It's not safe for you to play on it! Sheriff's orders! Get down now!" Hitch ordered, trying to keep himself cool while glaring at them.
"We're okay, Mr. Sheriff!"
"It's a lot of fun, come on up!" the Cheering Pokemon didn't care as they proved to be happy-go-lucky and fun-loving as Izzy was while they continued to swing on the stage piece they're on.
But, it was too late for Hitch to do anything to stop them further as the stage piece soon broke off from their horsing around and Plusle and Minum squealed in shock as they fell off and landed on the male Earth Pony, causing him to plop down on his stomach hard with a pained grunt. Sparky, seeing this, cheekily laughed at his pony father who just sighed incredulously as Plusle and Minum got off of him before he scolded them severely for their actions and playful attitudes.
"This is not funny, you two! This is serious, you shouldn't have been playing around here while we're trying to work! Now, we're going to have to fix up that swing again before tonight's concert!" he snapped at the Cheering Pokemon, only to sigh in defeat as the two of them just laughed.
"Make way, you two, and go play somewhere else. It's too dangerous here," Zorro called as he rolled a large poster that featured an Azumarill singing.
That Pokemon featured on the poster is Azumarill, she's going to be one of the main stars for tonight's concert!
"Dudes, no way! Is that the groovy Pokemon Singer, Azumarill?"
"It is, she's going to be performing for our Natsu Matsuri!"
"I can't wait to hear her sing, she's got an amazing record deal set up by the Japanese branch of Decca Records!"
"Yeah, I heard she's a really good singer like Taylor Swift herself," Zuma, Heart, Skye, and Tail cheered.
"Hey, where is she, anyway?" Cam added, looking around for the musical Aqua Rabbit Pokemon.
"Last I heard, Mayor Goodway mentioned that Meowth and Wobbuffet are going to be bringing her here," Sarah informed as she joined the pups.
"Meowth and Wobbuffet?!" the PAW Patrol blinked in surprise while the Dragonstone Patrol rolled their eyes and groaned, remembering their allegiance with Jessie and James given their ties with Team Rocket.
"I know, I know, they didn't make a good first impression given their affliction with Team Rocket. But, on their own, they're just clumsy but lovable buffoons in their own right and they do mean well at times. At least, that's what I'm getting at during our time with them at Pixie and her friends' house and at Lunatone Rock before Meloetta's Moonlight Serenade."
"It's best if they show you once they get here along with Azumarill," Raven nodded as she came over.
"Let's hope they don't jump anything while they cart her over in her hot rod," Liberty nodded.
Down the road leading to Adventure Bay and Adventure Beach, the two Team Rocket Pokemon in question were driving Azumarill to the Natsu Matsuri where she'll be performing that night and while Wobbuffet was behind the wheel, Meowth was with the Pokemon Singer herself as he went over her schedule with her.
"'Kay, Azumarill, here's the dig; you got the Summer Festival tonight, tomorrow, your TV station performance, CD recording, photoshoot, and so on. Though it's packed, it never grumbles," he informed the Water Type.
"Oh, it all comes with the job and the title. All in the days of a celebrity musician or singer, really," Azumarill replied modestly.
At that, Meowth could only give a sigh of pleasure as he began fanticizing over being successful in the music business from the standpoint of a businessman, thinking of himself standing over many buildings in the music industry while wearing a fancy tuxedo and shades, "This is going to be the payday gig of all time; Azumarill can help me win a lot of dough and I can be her director and after that, I'll make a name for myself in the entire music industry! Everybody will flock over for the greatest musical buzz under my paw and wing!"
Then, there was trouble; as the trio were making their way to the Natsu Matsuri, the limousine's engine suddenly began to splutter before it eventually stopped and the engine began to smoke, making Wobbuffet gasp and groan in dismay as he spluttered, "AH! WAAAH! Aw, man, the car's dead!"
Meanwhile, everybody was finally having fun as guests and passerbys from all over the world had come for Adventure Bay's first-ever Natsu Matsuri and it was time for Azumarill to appear and begin rehearsing for tonight's performance. But, as Blitz, Curly, Plusle, and Minum waited anxiously for the Aqua Rabbit Pokemon singer in question to appear with Meowth and Wobbuffet, they discovered that the three of them were running late and none of them knew about their car troubles on the way.
"Azumarill's coming really slowly today."
"You think it's possible she and her escort got lost on the way here?" Plusle and Minum questioned, concerned for Azumarill.
"Don't know."
"It's not like her, Meowth, and Wobbuffet to be late," the Pikachu Couple admitted, knowing that the trio's time of arrival had passed and they were nowhere to be seen.
"Right, I'm going to look for Azumarill and help her get here!"
"Me, too!" the Cheering Pokemon bantered before they rushed off into the distance.
"H-Hey, wait a minute!"
"Plusle, Minum!" Blitz and Curly gasped, quickly chasing after the younger Cheering Pokemon before they end up in trouble themselves.
With the Pokemon Singer in question, while resting under an open umbrella that had been set up for her, she was being pushed by Meowth and Wobbuffet as they decided to roll her and their broken down car over to the Natsu Matsuri once the engine finally kicked the bucket. She was concerned for her escorts and wanted to help push the car on the last few miles on their path but the Scratch Cat and Patient Pokemon denied herself, insisting that they'll take care of her and not have her work herself to bits despite her concerns.
"Why did the engine had to break down when we're so close to the festival?" Meowth grumbled.
"Hey, don't blame me!" Wobbuffet retorted as they strained to push the car all the way.
"Do you need my help, Mr. Meowth?" asked Azumarill kindly.
"No, no! I couldn't, how could I let such a lovely singer such as you do such heavy lifting when you got a performance tonight?" Meowth denied.
"Ms. Azumarill! Ms. Azumarill!" called Minum, causing the three of them to see him, Plusle, Blitz, and Curly rushing forward after they finally saw them.
Looks like Plusle, Minum, Blitz, and Curly are coming to help and they finally found who they are looking for!
"Oh, thank goodness you've arrived to help!" Azumarill smiled thankfully before she blinked in surprise once the Cheering Pokemon saw her and cheered wildly.
"Wow! Are you really Ms. Azumarill?"
"The famous Aqua Rabbit singer, by the stage name of 'ZuZu'?"
"YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY, YAAAAAYYYY...!" cheered Plusle and Minum ecstatically, jumping up and down and fangirling over the musical Water Type while Blitz and Curly smiled in greeting.
"You're so beautiful, it's nice to finally meet you!" Minum complimented.
"Oh! Why, thank you," chuckled Azumarill modestly.
"Hey, wowzers! How did you guys know we needed help getting to the festival?" Meowth gasped with a bright smile as his and Wobbuffet's car troubles are likely over, to their relief.
"When you didn't show up for your last rehearsal before tonight's performance, we were worried and we realized something could be wrong."
"So, we decided to find you and see what we can do to help you. And, since you need help with your car and getting to the festival, if you want fast-track travel there, we're your Pikas," Curly and Blitz grinned just as Wobbuffet noticed something appearing from the sky.
"Hey, what's that?" the Patient Pokemon quipped, directing everyone to what looked like a wild Skarmory zooming in and divebombing the group before it reached Azumarill and grabbed her without warning.
"AHHHHHHHH!" the Water/Fairy Type screamed in horror as she was carried away by the Armor Bird Pokemon despite struggling in vain to get out of its tight grasp.
"Ah!/What-?!/Oh, no!/Hey/Nuts!"
"Azumarill!" the remaining six Pokemon shocked in shock and horror.
Uh-oh! Our friend, Azumarill, has been captured by that wild Skarmory! What could the Armor Bird Pokemon want with her, what is going on here?
"Hey! Give us back our musical star right now!" Meowth bellowed angrily as Plusle and Minum prepared to attack to save their idol.
"Twin Thundershock!" they shouted, firing Thundershock only to miss Skarmory as it dodged their blast with Azumarill still in its grasp.
"We'll get him!"
"Yeah, let's do it, Curls!"
"Twin Thunderbolt!" Curly and Blitz bantered before they fired Thunderbolt together and managed to hit Skarmory's tail fin and making it spin along with Azumarill as they started to dive down uncontrollably towards the festival (while the Cheering Pokemon yelped happily, thinking they had saved Azumarill).
"HELP MEEEEEEE!" wailed Azumarill as everybody soon saw her and Skarmory swiftly losing altitude.
"Oh, no! It didn't work, Azumaril and that Skarmory are going to touch down on the ground!" Meowth gasped.
"SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP MEEEEEE! WAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Azumarill shrieked in terror, getting the attention of everybody at the festival down below as they reached the festival and Skarmory managed to gain airline traction with its strength alone, destroying some of the food stands nearby to its right with its right wing.
"It's Azumarill!"
"And, she's in trouble!"
"LOOK OUT!" Marshall, Skye, and Chase screamed in shock as they and anybody nearby got out of the way in time before as the food from the destroyed food stands were flung into the air.
Oh, no! The food from those destroyed food stands are now in a right state!
Sensing and sniffing the food coming down towards him while he was sleeping at his current location on the beach, Snorlax immediately woke up and got on his feet, opening his mouth and eating every last piece of food and produce that was sent flying from Skarmory's demolition derby tactic and he gave a happy grin before he yawned and slept again.
"Ahh, nighty-night..." he snoozed as the screams and yelps of everybody gathered soon attracted the attention of the Pokemon School Gang, Ash, and Gladion as they and their Pokemon rushed over to the scene of the disaster while Sarah and Race came over to see what the commotion was about.
"Hey, what's going on?!"
"Ash, look!"
"It's a Skarmory!"
"And, it's got Azumarill in its claws!" Ash, Lillie, Gladion, and Mallow gasped, seeing what was happening along with the others while Skarmory let out another caw and Azumarill screamed in terror, desperately wanting someone to rescue her.
"Hey, hey! Stop right there! You're not gonna get away with ruining our Natsu Matsuri, you-BWAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Corphish shouted to Skarmory, bracing himself to save Azumarill and stop Skarmory as he got in front of them before he was soon bashed out of the way and knocked out cold.
Race's Blaziken, Blaze, and Zorro saw Skarmory and Azumarill and the two of them shot Flamethrower and Dragon Pulse to try and hit the Steel/Flying Type intruder/kidnapper but it quickly folded its wings and darted in between the two attacks before they could hit it, flying off towards a strange island some distance away from the beach with its terrified passenger in its talons as she let out one final scream.
The crowd was in a mix of bewilderment and confusion over what had just happened and what Skarmory could want with one of their star attractions for the Natsu Matsuri concert just as Curly, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Blitz, Plusle, and Minum finally arrived back and appeared to see the Armor Bird Pokemon disappear to the island it was heading with Captain Turbot, Mayor Goodway, the PAW Patrol, Ryder, Sarah, and her human family joined them.
"Holy Starmies! That skillful Skarmory swooped seaward with Azumarill, one of our stars for tonight's concert!" summarized a bewildered Captain Turbot.
"Oh, dear! This is a disaster, what are we supposed to do now? We can't begin our final rehearsals and the concert tonight without her back here! Who knows what that horrible Pokemon could do to her right now?!" Mayor Goodway fretted.
"Azumarill... D'OOOOH, why does this sort of misery always happen to us?!" Mewoth wailed in agonizing frustration and worry for Azumarill as he plopped on the sand.
"We're not gonna let that bad bird get away with this! Let's go and show it what happens when it messes with us and our idol!" Minum declared, not wanting to take the wild Skarmory kidnapping the Aqua Rabbit Pokemon lying down.
"But how, Bro? We don't even know where Azumarill has been taken to!" Plusle told her brother, knowing of their party's first issue to address.
"Oh, right. Sorry," Minum wilted.
"...You! This is all your fault!" Meowth snapped, pointing at Curly and Blitz accusingly.
"Our fault/Excuse me?!" the Pikachu couple spluttered indignantly.
"If you two blind mice had more control over your Thunderbolts, my Azumarill wouldn't be Skarmory bait right now!"
"Well, we didn't see you jumping in to give us a hand with stopping that metal buzzard, Mr. Get-Rich-Quick!" "At least we made an effort unlike you!"
"All right, that's enough!" Zelda shouted, getting between the trio and pushing them away from each other before she took a deep breath and calmed herself as she then addressed the greater problem at hand. "Now, is not the time for you three to bicker like spoiled children. What's important is to find out where that Skarmory had taken Azumarill in the first place and what it wants with the poor dear."
"She's right, it doesn't matter who's fault it is. We need to know what the island is and why that metal hawk is taking her there after it had its eye on her," Persian noted as she joined the group and eyed the island in front of everyone.
"Are you planning to head for that island out at see, young'ns?" an elderly voice questioned as everyone turned and found what looked to be an elderly Bellsprout (denoted by its slightly wrinkled face, its gray beard and mustache, its arched back, and the walking stick it carries) coming towards them.
"Yes, we are, Sir!"
"Do you know where that Skarmory has taken her?" Minum and Plusle questioned as some of the other heroes joined them to hear what the elder had to say.
The elder Bellsprout hummed with a nod as he denoted the island in question while pointing towards it, "I know very well that island you saw just now. As far as I know, I'd reckon...that Ms. Azumarill...is possibly taken, to the place where Steel Pokemon dwell, and have made their home for many years... It's name: the Island of Iron..."
"Island of Iron?" echoed the Mane Five and the Core PAW Patrol team in confusion.
Meanwhile, on the now-identified Island of Iron (which was jagged with sharp spikey rocks and the paths through it zig-zagging up and down at menacing angles), Skarmory had taken Azumarill to the top of the island which was a cavern outcrop in the shape of a Viking helmet. It flew in the cave and upon entering, dropped Azumarill a few feet from the opening and it flew off with a caw, leaving the poor Pokemon Singer bewildered and worried about what could happen to her.
"Hey! Hey! Come back! What's the big idea, what could you possibly want with me?!" Azumarill called out to Skarmory but to no avail as it left.
A low growl came up from her left and she turned to find another Pokemon stomping towards her. The silhouette of the Pokemon coming towards her revealed itself to be the Iron Armor Pokemon and the fully-evolved form of Aron, a wild Aggron. Azumarill could only shiver in terror as she looked up at the giant and powerful-looking Steel Type as it growled at her while looking down at her, its motives with her unclear as they stared at each other for several agonizing seconds.
"There are many powerful Steel Type Pokemon living on that dreadful island but the most terrifying and most powerful of them all is its ruler, Aggron: the Iron Armor Pokemon. Its shell is extremely sturdy and it has a sharp horn that can pierce through thick iron like paper, using it like a battering ram to stop its adversaries dead in their tracks and hold them down until it comes at them. As I understand it, no one that went to the island has ever come out of it alive and poor Azumarill is that Iron Devil's latest victim," the elder Bellsprout noted to everyone.
"But, I don't get it, Mister. Why did Skarmory want to kidnap Azumarill in the first place?" Blitz questioned, not understanding Skarmory and Aggron's motives for wanting Azumarill at all.
"Unfortunately, I don't know, either... Their reasons for wanting her are a mystery, even to me."
"This really bites," Lana lamented. "Poor Azumarill," mused Sophocles sadly.
"What are we going to do now?" Togedemaru whimpered, feeling worried for Azumarill being stuck on the Island of Iron.
"Well, can't we call on somebody else to come over and fill in for her while we make a rescue attempt?" suggested Vikavolt.
"It's no use, tonight's concert had been arranged for Azumarill to be the star performer. Nobody at the eleventh hour can fill in for her. Why, I bet not even one of the best bands and musicians out there and substitute for her right now and I can't make my dream of making the big leagues in the music industry come true without her," sulked Meowth miserably.
He then rounded up on Blitz and Curly again as they got into another spat over their predicament over Azumarill being kidnapped and their parts and/or lack there of (in Meowth's case), "I'm still blaming you two for losing Azumarill and not doing more to stop that stupid Skarmory!"
"Well, excuse us for not wanting to hit her given that she's a Water Type and vulnerable to electricity!"
"Do you really want us to fry her to a crisp trying to stop that big bird from taking her away to that island?!" ranted an angry Blitz and Curly as they butted heads with the Scratch Cat Pokemon before Calyrex lifted the trio up to him using Psychic (while he was in Ghost Rider Form atop Spectrier).
Then, looking unimpressed at them and using Pound to give them hard slaps to their left cheeks akin to how straight-men would slap the Three Stooges (while getting pained grunts from them mixed with comic xylophone effects once they're slapped), the High King Pokemon narrowed his eyes and questioned them, "Have you three juvenile delinquents quite finished your little bickering spree?"
"Your royal friend is right, fellas! A Natsu Matsuri without our Azumarill is like a roasted meat rice without the rice! In that case, let's all join forces and go over there and free her!" Corphish concurred.
Everybody agreed with the notion and so, while everybody else stayed behind to clean up the wreckage caused by Skarmory and carry out as normal and hope Azumarill can be brought back safely, Sarah and a select group with her made their way to the Island of Iron to mount their rescue attempt. While the little princess was riding aboard Suicune and Race strode on Link's back with Silvally being held in the male Paradox Pokemon's mouth (as he wanted to fight some Steel Types himself), Corphish was now pulling a small dingy boat with Plusle, Minum, Blitz, Curly, Meowth, Wobbuffet, Zorro, and Blaze inside it.
"The big performance is tonight and we must get Azumarill back at all cost and only then will I be able to win over the whole music industry!" Meowth proclaimed, getting raised eyebrows from his fellow passengers in the dingy as they looked at him and Wobbuffet.
"Yeah, it's his big dream this time. You never know with this guy," Wobbuffet informed with a nod.
"Still, I can't help...but be scared."
Race couldn't help but roll his eyes and shake his head at him just as everybody gathered approached the Island of Iron, knowing that their rescue mission had finally begun.
"Land ho!" Plusle and Minum cheered, pointing at the island.
"Blitzy, there's the Island of Iron!"
"You're right! And, Azumarill is taken somewhere on it so she could be anywhere once we finally dock this thing and look around," Curly and Blitz bantered, their attention also on their group's impending destination.
The group then entered the rocky reef surrounding the island but just as they were about to find a place to dock the dingy, they had no idea that an ominous-looking pack of fins looking like the belonged to some Pokemon or sharks was beginning to tail them without warning.
Link hummed in confusion as he saw the fins and warned the little princess, "Princess, I think we're about to have some unwanted company."
"What are those things?!" gasped Minum.
The owners of the fins revealed themselves to be a pod of Sharpedo, a shark and missile-inspired Brutal Pokemon, as Blitz gasped, "Sharpedo!"
"Watch yourselves, everybody! The Sharpedo living around here are worthy fighters, they won't take too kindly to us being here since they share the island as their home with the Steel Types including Skarmory and Aggron," Corphish warned, keeping a watchful eye on the Sharpedo as many of them gathered and prepared to surround them, the leader of the pod giving them a seering glare as it swam alongside them.
"No, wait! Wait! Please! Don't look at me like that, this reef is more like a JAWS movie hotspot for them!" Meowth freaked, not liking the Sharpedo leader's warning glare.
"Take a picture, lasts longer!" agreed Wobbuffet, also feeling unnerved by Sharpedo's glare. "
Don't mention that again! I still have nightmares sometimes about being out at sea with that shark preparing to eat me!"
"You're not the only one!" the Pikachu couple remarked angrily at Meowth while trying to keep themselves calm.
"Corphish, we gotta lose them! Try and speed up so we can get to the island faster!" Blitz called to the Ruffian Pokemon.
"Leave it to me!" the Ruffian Pokemon nodded, increasing his speed as he darted his way forward but to no avail as the Sharpedo pod chased after them with the leader quickly gaining on them.
"Take this!" Blaze bellowed, firing his Flamethrower attack at Sharpedo only to hit the water as the so-called "Bully of the Sea" took no damage from it and everybody on the dingy became shocked as they gasped. "Damn it!"
"That floating torpedo's in the ocean, Blaze! Your flames won't touch him as long as it's in the water!" Race called to his Fire Type.
"Look out!" Plusle cried in alarm, seeing one of the Sharpedo that's closest to them swimming up to their dingy and taking a bite out of its back before another group in the pod swiftly cut off everyone from the Island of Iron.
"They boxed us in!" gasped Meowth.
"Not! Thundershock!" Plusle and Minum bellowed, narrowing their eyes and using Thundershock to stun the Sharpedo blocking their way and giving Zorro an opening to attack them once they were unable to move as he jumped and skipped on a few rocks before attacking them from behind.
"Solar Beam!" the Forest Pokemon roared, quickly charging with sunlight and firing a Solar Beam at the stunned Sharpedo, blasting the five of them out of the way as Corphish decides to take a gamble.
"Now! GO!" Corphish bellowed as he gave a hard tug and threw the dingy with Blaze, Blitz, Curly, Plusle, Minum, Meowth, and Wobbuffet to the Island of Iron.
"Corphish!" Blitz, Plusle, and Minum cried in alarm.
"Zorro!" Sarah shouted as Link and Suicune carried her, Race, and Silvally forward.
"No time for all of us to go, Princess! Make for the island and Azumarill at full speed and don't look back!" Zorro ordered as he and Corphish stayed behind to keep the Sharpedo pod busy and give Sarah and her party the time they needed to rescue the Aqua Rabbit Pokemon.
"Crabhammer!"
"Leaf Blade!"
The Ruffian and Forest Pokemon halted the pod with their Leaf Blade and Crabhammer attacks, making big waves that stopped them dead in their tracks and forced them to see the two of them taking battle stances and preparing to fight them off themselves as they stood on two rocks.
"Now, feel the wrath of the royal family's Master of Blades!"
"Since your friends here want to make trouble for this year's Natsu Matsuri, I will hold nothing back!," they vowed, daring the Sharpedo pod to attack.
After reaching the Island of Iron when the wooden dingy finally beached itself (and was destroyed in the process), and Link and Suicune allowed their passengers to disembark, the remaining members of the rescue party looked at the island despite their relief, feeling a little queasy at the moment.
"We finally made it," Meowth admitted.
"And, in one piece, too," added Wobbuffet, breathing a sigh of relief.
As the group wondered where they should start looking, they soon heard what sounded like a soft melodic voice singing which is familiar to them after hearing about the owner of it, "La, la, la, la, la, la, la~"
"Hey, that's Ms. Azumarill's voice!" Minum gasped, causing everybody to perk up and hear her as they looked around.
"She really is here!" Plusle added in agreement.
"But, where could she be? Her voice must be coming from somewhere!" Meowth puzzled as Curly then saw the opening the Skarmory that captured her dropped her in at the top of the mountain.
"Up there, from that opening!" she called, pointing to the cavern.
"The pretty's right, I can hear that little musical blabbermouth from down here clearly even when she's stuck up there," Silvally noted, his sharp hearing picking up Azumarill's voice as well.
"That's definitely her, alright. What's going on up there?"
"No clue, we'll only find out once we get to her before any Steel Types let alone that walking hulk jump us," Sarah and Race said.
"Hang on, Azumarill! We're coming!" Meowth yelled as everybody left scrambled to reach the island's mountain summit before they found themselves walking along the dangerous cliffs leading to the top.
As expected given their current terrain, not only were the cliffs steep and dangerous for them to traverse without falling and getting injured without warning while keeping their hopes over not being targeted and hit by any of the Steel Type Pokemon dwelling on the island high but not too high, they also had to contend with the fact that the gorge below was deep and they don't know how deep it actually is.
"Mind yourselves, everybody. This pathway is the only one leading to the summit and it'll be dangerous if we miss a step and fall down to the bottom of that gorge to our right. Now, stick together and watch for any sign of trouble," Link warned as they went along.
But, trouble suddenly reared its ugly head at the group as a part of the cliff came off as Meowth stepped on the wrong part of the edge and he fell, being saved by Blitz, Plusle, Minum, Curly, and Wobbuffet before he could drop down the gorge, "YAH!"
"You okay, Meowth?!" shouted Blitz as he, his mate, the Cheering Pokemon, and Wobbuffet struggled to pull him back.
"I won't let my hands off ya for Azumarill even if I should die for it!" the Scratch Cat Pokemon yelled frantically.
"Hang on, buddy!" Wobbuffet called.
"INTRUDERS!" screeched a familiar voice, the group looking up in surprise to see the Skarmory that kidnapped Azumarill swooping down at them after hearing and seeing them approaching the island.
"Skarmory!" Plusle and Minum gasped in shock.
"Flamethrower!" Race shouted to Blaze, the Blaze Pokemon obliging as he fired the powerful Fire Type attack at the Armor Bird Pokemon before it barely managed to dodge and come off unscathed, allowing Blitz, Curly, Plusle, Minum, and Wobbuffet to finally pull Meowth back up.
"Phew, I'm saved..." Meowth breathed before Skarmory prepared to go on the attack again. The former Battle Frontier Champion and Blaze stood together against the powerful Hoenn Steel/Flying Type as the former turned to the others and told, "Blaze and I got this! You all get to Azumarill and-huh?"
But, Race was cut off as his Blaziken held his shoulder and shook his head before he stepped forward to take on Skarmory alone; Blaze knew that Azumarill needed all the help she can get and as long as he kept Skarmory at bay for as long as he can, he can buy the others and his master enough time to pull off the rescue attempt and figure out what Aggron wants with her.
"You go ahead with the others and your girl. I'll stay and hold this birdbrain off," he reassured.
"Blaze..." Race breathed as Blaze used Fire Punch to knock Skarmory back and keep it off of their party and he prepared to face it down himself.
"I'll be fine! Azumarill needs you, get going!"
"Got it, man! Come on!" Blaze nodded as everybody else made their way to the summit as fast as they could, Race slowly nodding as he brought up the rear and left his Fire Starter behind to deal with Skarmory.
Soon, the remaining members of the rescue party finally went inside the cavern summit and found themselves within a complex system of caverns. Thankfully, however, it wasn't totally dark for them to see where they are going but that didn't matter to Wobbuffet and Meowth as it was dark enough for them to not know which direction they themselves should take.
"Like, yeowzers, this place is Creepy Central. Too dark and too scary to know where to turn to," Meowth frowned worriedly.
"Dark and scary which can scare the heebie-jeebies out of ya," agreed Wobbuffet, feeling a little queasy himself.
"Meowth, Wobbuffet, you must've been dreaming about the time you two, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, Max, and your buddy-buddies were rockin' and rollin' in that cave labyrinth filled with Aron Ash told us about," Blitz remarked.
"Ha! You and Mr. Wobbuffet are fraidy cats, Mr. Meowth!" taunted Minum, laughing.
"There's nothing in this cave you need to be afraid of," added Plusle as the Cheering Pokemon brothers cheerfully walked on ahead of the Team Rocket duo.
"I'm not scared! I just need to pluck up my courage and push on for my dear Azumarill!" Meowth spat as he and Wobbuffet sped up, both of them irked by the taunting thrown their way.
"We're not gonna lose to you!" Wobbuffet concurred as they started to overtake the Cheering Brothers before they traded the lead, increasing their speed and making it like a competition between them to see who would get through the tunnel faster before they went three levels down along a squared spiral before they disappeared into another cave.
"Idiots," scoffed Silvally.
"Why us?" moaned Blitz before he and the others quickly pursued them. "Wait up!"
However, little did Blitz, Curly, Silvally, Link, Sarah, and Race knew that while they hurried to catch up with Plusle, Minum, Wobbufet, and Meowth, a Magnimite had appeared from a rock it was hiding behind. It buzzed curiously as it narrowed its eyes at them, eyeing the little princess in particular before it nodded and floated off to yet another cavern which was actually the dwelling of Aggron to deliver its report to it.
"Boss, I bring urgent news. It appears we have some unwelcomed guests in our midst," Magnimite informed with a floating bow.
Aggron hummed as he then purred, "Unexpected guests, eh? Now, tell me, who would be foolish enough to come to our domain at a time like this?"
"A total of seven Pokemon and two humans are in our caverns right now. One of them is Alola's little Sun Princess and by the looks of it, I believe that they've come regarding our VIP Skarmory brought along from the path leading to Adventure Bay. They're going to be rescuing Azumarill from under our noses if possible, they didn't take too kindly to what happened to her earlier after Skarmory found and captured her."
"Hmm... That little girl could pose a problem since she's a great swordswoman and her family with her along with those electric rats, those stooges, and her man are not to be taken lightly as well. We can't let them have her, I'll see to it that she remains here even if I have to deal with those fools myself. Good work, Magnimite, you may go. "
"Sir," Magnamite bowed before it left, leaving Aggron to his thoughts on what he had been told.
"Hmph. Those Sharpedo outside should be able to hold their own against that puny crustacean and the Master of Blades and even Skarmory can be a match for that walking aviary torchlight. Not even those red and blue chargers and those stooges would put up a decent fight but the princess and her man and her mice and her frankenstein, if any of them want a fight for Azumarill, I will give them one..."
Back outside the island, Zorro and Corphish (whom the former is now riding on) are continuing to hold their own against the Sharpedo pod as the two groups charged at each other in a jousting contest. The Brutal Pokemon unleashed a powerful string of Hyper Beam attacks but the Forest and Ruffian Pokemon matched their assault with a combined Solar Beam and Bubblebeam combo attack, the force of the attacks causing a huge explosion in the water in their stalemate.
Meanwhile, Sarah, Race, Link, Suicune, Curly, and Blitz managed to catch up with Meowth, Wobbuffet, Plusle, and Minum as the next part they're in is now filled with more natural light to help everybody see better (much to the relief of the former two) before they ended up at a fork along the way, showing that they have two paths to take from either the right or left depending on where Azumarill's singing is coming from.
"Hey, two tunnels," Meowth piped up as he looked between them. "That would be a problem."
"Right or left, huh?" noted Wobbuffet.
"But, which one do we take to get to Azumarill?" Minum inquired.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. The tunnels before us can lead us to one of two rooms of passageways in this place and Azumarill could only be behind one of them so it's no use charging through one of them if we don't know which tunnel leads us to her," Race warned.
As if to give them a hint of some sort, everybody heard the Water/Fairy Type in question singing with her melodic voice as they looked around, trying to find out where it was coming from.
"It's Azumarill! I hear her singing!" Plusle cried before everybody turned to the tunnel on the right, hearing her voice clearly.
"You think she could be down there?" Silvally questioned, gesturing to the tunnel on the right.
"You're right, Parts. That's definitely her voice, she's gotta be past the tunnel on the right! Come on!" Meowth nodded before a roar was heard and out from the rock wall in front of them came Aggron with Magnimite.
"Freaky! It's Aggron, the rule of the Island of Iron!" Meowth shrieked in terror as everyone else gasped.
"Aggron, wait! We don't want any trouble! We just want to find Azumarill and take her back to Adventure Beach for her performance so please, give her back to us and we won't have to fight," Sarah called out to the Iron Armor Pokemon as Blitz, Curly, Plusle, and Minum joined her while they stepped forward to him.
Aggron just gave a smug huff and simply asked, "And, why would I give her up?"
"Island Girl just gave you a reason, Scales. She's going to be performing for Adventure Bay's first ever Natsu Matsuri. Now, where is she and why did Skarmory kidnap her, anyway?" Race chimed in, narrowing his eyes at the Steel Type.
"Shut up! Azumarill is mine and I won't let you meddling kids have her!" Aggron snapped, letting out a powerful roar that sent out a shockwave which sent Blitz, Meowth, Plusle, Minum, and Curly flying back before they grabbed the cavern floor to keep themselves from being blown away while Link used his giant size to shield Suicune, Silvally, Sarah, and Race from the jaw-dropping display of his power.
But, their moment of distraction immediately bought Aggron an opportunity to strike them with his tail as it glowed bright white and turned to actual steel and he swung at them which caused Meowth to balk in terror again for he recognized the attack before them.
"LOOK OUT, INCOMING IRON TAIL ATTACK!" he screamed.
"How about this?! THUNDERBOLT!" Blitz shouted as he unleashed a Thunderbolt at Aggron that sent him skidding back to the cavern wall he came out of.
"Focus Punch! HYAH!" Curly bellowed, using her Fighting Type move to deliver a right hand cross to the left side of Aggron's face that dealt him some damage as he screamed in pain and his cheek swelled.
"This one's all you, fellas! We're bailing Azumarill out of this joint!"
"Pound him good!" Meowth and Wobbuffet cried as they went down the right tunnel.
"Alright! Be careful!" Blitz nodded as he, Curly, Plusle, Minum, Link, Suicune, Silvally, Sarah, and Race braced themselves to fight the giant Aggron.
"Magnamite, stop them!" Aggron roared, pointing his messenger fighter to the tunnel Meowth and Wobbuffet went down.
"Yes, Master!" Magnamite obliged as he immediately pursued the Patient and Scratch Cat Pokemon. "You won't get away!"
Now that he's alone with his opposition at hand, Aggron prepared himself for a major rumble with the little princess and her family as he dared them to come at him, "I've heard many stories about the exploits of the Alolan Sun Princess and her entourage of Power Rangers, I wonder how you'll fare with me. Have you all the guts to take me on, Princess? Come!"
"You'll be sorry!" Sarah retorted as she and her family with her (she and Race drawing the Sun Sword and Bio Lion Talon as they braced themselves), Plusle, and Minum prepared to fight against the Steel Type and rejoin Meowth and Wobbuffet to rescue Azumarill, if possible.
Returning to Adventure Beach, everybody waited anxiously for Sarah and her party to return from the Island of Iron with Azumarill at hand. They had managed to fix up all of the stalls and restock them after the incident involving Skarmory and its kidnapping the musical Aqua Rabbit Pokemon but the opening of the festival was drawing nearer and the party in question had not returned as quickly as they had hoped. Even Elder Bellsprout, Braviary, and Kaji were getting concerned as they watched the Island of Iron in front of everybody, wondering what could be taking Sarah, her family joining her, Minum, Plusle, Wobbuffet, and Meowth so long to come back.
Everyone's managed to fix up the festival stalls before tonight but Blitz, Curly, Plusle, Minum, Sarah, Race, and the rest of their party hadn't returned yet with Azumarill and time's quickly running out. What on earth could've happened to them?
"It's not like Sarah and the others to be this late if the rescue mission was supposed to be quick. Something must've gone wrong," Kaji muttered anxiously as Braviary hummed with a concerned nod (even though he steeled himself and put a straight face in anticipation of the worst).
"Hmm, indeed... This is very strange... Young Kaji, Braviary, if you don't mind, would you two and this Wailord friend you've mentioned go to the Island of Iron and find out what's happening over there?" Bellsprout requested.
"Yes," Braviary and Kaji nodded as they flew off to find Wailord.
With Meowth and Wobbuffet back at the Island of Iron, they were continuing down the path leading them to Azumarill but the Magnet Pokemon found them and cut them off from going any further, "Freeze, dimwits!"
"AH! Magnamite! Buddy, I think it's your turn to fight now!" Meowth cowered, quickly hiding behind Wobbuffet so he wouldn't get hit.
"Eat Thunderbolt!" Magnamite shouted, firing Thunderbolt at the pair.
"Grrrr...Not this time, Counter Attack!" Wobbuffet grunted, activating his Counter move and sending it right back at the little Steel Type at twice the power, sending it crashing into the wall and knocking itself out.
"Quick, before that floating ball gets its bearings and fries us again! Run!" Meowth yelped before he and Wobbuffet raced off before Magnamite could recover to continue chasing after them.
Outside, Blaze was continuing his duel with Skarmory and it looked as though he was getting the upper hand for he had gotten some good heavy hits in on the Armor Bird Pokemon but he was running away from it, supposedly luring it into a trap he had planned to kick off earlier.
"You're a way off but you're getting warm!" he taunted, prompting Skarmory to fire Swift before he stopped and turned around, jumping into the air and using Flare Blitz and Fire Punch in an uppercut combo before it crashed into him and they fell into the gorge together, screaming.
Meowth and Wobbuffet, on the other hand, were continuing to run their way down the cavern and following Azumarill's singing. But, to their surprise, not only did they find the Pokemon in question safe and sound but she was also singing to a wall.
"Azumarill!"
"You're okay!" they blurted out in surprise, catching Azumarill's attention as she stopped singing.
"O-Oh! You two!" she gasped, equally surprised.
"We finally found you! Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?! We've managed to pummel those terrifying Sharpedo on our way here and crush that horrible Aggron to come here and bring you back! We have to get you back to Adventure Beach and fast!"
Azumarill was further surprised by this but she gave a warm smile as she told Meowth while he tried to pull her away, "Wait a minute, Meowth. I'd love to but I can't return for my performance just yet."
"Huh, what do you mean?" he questioned in bewilderment before she pointed him and Wobbuffet over the edge of a small hole in front of her as she told them, "Look down there."
"W-W-W-WHA-!? FOR REAL?!" the Scratch Cat Pokemon shrieked in total shock as his eyes bugged out.
With Aggron and his opposition, he struck the ground before him and fired off another but much more powerful shockwave that sent a morphed Sarah and Race (both of them now as the Solgaleo and Pyroar Rangers) along with Blitz, Curly, Plusle, and Minum flying to a cavern wall behind them while Suicune and Silvally held their ground as best they could. They all shook off the roar and pain as best they could as they regrouped and Aggron advanced towards them to land one final attack on the smaller Pokemon only to be blocked off by Link, his full height of 11'06" dwarfing Aggron's measly 6'11".
"Get out of my way, you overgrown dinosaur," the Iron Armor Pokemon threatened, undeterred.
Link just glared at Aggron as he got into a battle stance that showed his Secret Stone from his right forearm and he said, "Try me."
"Then, you'll be the first to die," Aggron snorted smugly as he pulled back his right arm and proceeded to punch Link in his stomach to puncture it and get him out of the way while Plusle and Minum cried in horror, huddling close to their friends as they braced themselves.
But, at that moment, Aggron was halted by a combo attack comprised of a Flamethrower, Bubblebeam, and Leaf Storm at full power, causing him to cry out in pain from the attacks thrown at him before he got down on one knee. The group was surprised but they saw that the culprits were none other than Zorro, Corphish, and Blaze (the fully-evolved Hoenn Fire Starter also carrying the knocked-out Skarmory on his right shoulder as he had managed to catch himself on a chasm ledge in time and save Skarmory as well).
"Sorry we're late, Princess," Zorro replied.
"Those Sharpedo put up more of a fight than I thought which is why we're late."
"Skarmory wasn't pulling any punches either but we've done it," added Corphish and Blaze as the rest of their party regrouped with the trio.
"You could've knocked once you're through with those dorks, Bud," joked Race, punching his Fire Starter's chest in amusement.
"Better late than never," Sarah nodded to Zorro and Corphish before everybody turned to Aggron as the wounded Steel Type got back up but breathed heavily from the damage he had taken.
"Now, you got all of us to worry about! Want to try us together as a team or do you want to hand Azumarill back as we wanted?" Blitz dared to the Iron Armor Pokemon as everybody on the heroes' side prepared to go at him again.
"HEY!"
"Wait, wait! Stop! Don't fight anymore! This was all a misunderstanding!" Wobbuffet and Meowth cried out, rushing back through the tunnel they came out from and shielding Aggron before the heroes could attack him.
"Catscratch! What are you-?!" Silvally snapped.
"Meowth, Wobbuffet, what are you doing?" Sarah asked, glaring suspiciously at Meowth and Wobbuffet.
"Meowth! What is this, why are you getting in our way?" Corphish demanded, glaring at Wobbuffet and Meowth as well.
"Right here, my friends~" Azumarill smiled reassuringly, getting the heroes' attention as they saw Azumarill arrive with a pack of wild Aron and Larion and with Aggron's Magnamite fighter messanger. "It's alright, they're all with me. I see you've met my new friends and my greatest fans, at last."
"Ms. Azumarill!"
"Thank Arceus you're alright!" Plusle and Minum breathed.
"Wait a minute, what's with those Steel Types and why are they being buddy-buddy with our musical star?" Race quizzed in confusion as everybody saw the Aron and Larion nuzzling Azumarill happily and making her laugh.
Well, well! It looks like all those wild Larion and Aron are very close to Azumarill but why's that?
"Hmm, those look to be like wild Aron and Larion. And, they're all younglings at that," Link pondered curiously as he scratched his chin thoughtfully while everybody else not in the know looked lost.
"They must really be attached to her if they're so gentle with the dear," Suicune nodded.
"We're sorry your being kidnapped for our sake caused all this trouble, Ms. Azumarill," Magnamite apologized as it approached her.
Azumarill nodded reassuringly as she then told the Magnet Pokemon, "As I tried to explain on the way, if you all and Skarmory just reached out to me through peaceful means and explained everything from the start, we would've been able to save all this bother with me coming via my own fruition."
"Then, how about explaining all of this to us! Like, what are you doing here with these-?!" Blitz spluttered in bewilderment before Azumarill cut him off knowingly.
"Music-loving Steel Types including these young and kind Aron and Larion? Master Aggron and his subjects living on this island needed my help and my musical talent, Blitz dearie, even though they used a somewhat unorthodox method to bring me here."
"...What?" Silvally peeped, looking more lost than ever as he tilted his head at her.
"Perhaps, it's best if I told you everything," Aggron purred calmly now that the misunderstanding's starting to become clear before everybody found themselves outside and he told what really went down that caused Azumarill to be brought to the Island of Iron.
"It all happened about a month ago before the Natsu Matsuri you're putting up came to be at this Adventure Beach place; my subjects and I all heard some Wingull stopping here to chat amongst themselves about Azumarill and the festival. Azumarill, aptly titled 'The Melody Rabbit', was confirmed to be performing for the festival following that period. My Aron and Larion all knew this and they wanted to hear her sing but because our island was separated by the sea, there was no way would could ever cross it to see her. Skarmory was unable to transport us all to the festival as well, and so..."
Immedaitely, Sarah's eyes widened and she realized what Aggron and his subjects' greatest wish was regarding Azumarill being brought to the island, "I get it now... You wanted your Aron and Larion to hear her singing so you set up this whole fiasco just so you all can compensate for not being able to attend the festival and watch her perform tonight, correct?"
Aggron nodded before he and his subjects (including the recovered Skarmory and Magnamite) bowed apologetically to the heroes and Azumarill as he then said, "Please forgive us, Princess, all of you. My subjects and I and the Sharpedo that attacked you upon your arrival have all caused you and your family and friends so much trouble with our selfishness today. I thought I'd be doing us a huge favor by bringing her for the sake of the Aron and Larion living here but I never guessed that we'd unintentionally provoke you into coming just to rescue her, I never intended that."
"We're sorry," the Aron and Larion along with Skarmory and Magnamite apologized.
"It's okay. At least, we now know why you wanted to meet her and have Azumarill on your island so badly," Sarah sighed with a soft smile as she shook her head at the Steel Types with Azumarill giving them a knowing and forgiving nod and smile as well.
"Still, Skarmory didn't make a good first impression on their behalf. Not everybody's gonna be happy with them attending the Natsu Matsuri back on Adventure Beach even if we do get them to join in somehow," Race reminded, recalling what Skarmory had done unintentionally after kidnapping Azumarill, causing the Armor Bird Pokemon to blush with shame and embarrassment.
"Yeah, that was my fault, really..."
"Me, too," gulped Blitz and Curly as the former rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and Curly twiddled her fingers sheepishly.
One of the younger and smallest Aron waddled up to Azumarill as it sadly told them, "Well, um... Are you, going back now? I really want to hear Azumarill sing more..."
"Hey, no biggie. We'll get ya'll covered from here, I'll be glad to let ya feel our Summer Festival," Meowth replied as the Steel Types turned to him with hopeful looks on their faces.
"But, how are we going to get them to Adventure Beach?"
"We lost our dingy and even if we fix it, we can't all fit on it," Plusle and Minum reminded.
Meowth froze in horror for a moment but he quickly claimed, "Duh, well, eh... I'll, well...I'll think of something, no need to go aggro on me."
"Oh, brother," groaned Silvally.
"Would you please indulge on what your solution to our little predicament is, Young Meowth?" Link inquired, prompting Meowth to stammer in frantic thought but trail off as everybody saw an old friend of Sarah, Silvally, and Blitz show up in the form of the wild Wailord that helped the princess and her family some time ago approach the island and stop near the coastline.
"Wailord!" gasped Blitz as he and a surprised Sarah and Silvally rushed over to meet the Whale Pokemon.
"How did you get here, Big Blue?" Silvally quipped before everybody saw Braviary and Kaji on its head.
"The elder asked us to join you all on the island and see if you needed help after you took so long. So, we called upon an old friend to ferry you all back after you found Azumarill."
"Didn't think we'd stumble upon some Steel Types who just wanted to hear our main idol of the night sing for them," the Valiant and Flame Pokemon stated.
"That's great, you're just in time, guys!" smiled Blitz before he turned to the Steel Types. "See that, guys? Wailord here is really big, big enough to carry us all back to Adventure Beach!"
This was great news to the other Pokemon as Plusle, Minum, the Aron, and the Larion cheered happily for this wonderful turn of events, and even Aggron couldn't help but give a grateful nod to his and his subjects' new friends/acquaintances for their help after the little misunderstanding between them.
Meowth just paled as he awkwardly said, "Actually, uh, I just, well... Also wanted to say so, it...forestalled me."
"Bro, would you give it up?" Wobbuffet sighed as the Scratch Cat Pokemon groveled before everybody returned to Adventure Beach with Link and Suicune carrying Silvally, Sarah, and Race again, Braviary and Kaji flying alongside them, and Wailord carrying the rest on its back just as dusk approached.
Night fell and it was time for the Natsu Matsuri concert to begin after everybody celebrated Azumarill's return and the misunderstanding regarding Skarmory's kidnapping of her was cleared. The stage had also been finished and the performance was about to begin with Meowth coming out to address the crowd, wearing a fancy tuxedo and a cane at hand as everybody cheered.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys, girls, fathers, mothers, and children! Welcome to our very special Natsu Matsuri concert! And, now, for your musical pleasantries, please welcome our Water Woman of the night, Azumarill, and her musical menagerie!"
To the crowd's rousing applause (with the new additions of Skarmory, Aggron, the Larion, the Aron, and Magnamite), the concert finally began with Azumarill kicking off her own number as she was lowered to the stage via the repaired swing and wearing a tiara on her head. Her singing was angelic and while it was not powerful compared to the voices of other singers, it was soothing and warm in its own right which got the crowd enticed with her as they watched her in awe before she was joined by some of the Aron, the Pikachu Couple, the Cheering Brothers, Zorro, Corphish, a Bulbasaur, a Jigglypuff, a Mudkip, a Lombre, a Swellow, Braviary, Blaze, Kaji, a Beautifly, a Fortress, and a Torkoal, lending their voices to her song.
Once Azumarill wrapped up her number and the audience applauded for her and her friends and co-singers, she then gave her brightest smile yet and pointed everybody to the top of the staircase she came down from as well as the swing. On the swing was Sunny and out on the top of the staircase via a trapdoor lift came Sarah, joined by Misty, the rest of the Mane 5, Petunia, and Sparky (via rolling staircases from either the right or left and in some manmade mist from smoke machines) as they and Azumarill began a special 2-song medley they've put together for the concert.
(With Each Other - MLP: A New Mark)
Azumarill - Making a plan~
Hitch - Lending a hand~
Azumarill - Helping a friend is~
Azumarill & Hitch - Ni-ee-i-ee-i-i-ice~
Hitch - Work together~
Azumarill - Two heads are better~
Azumarill & Hitch - Finding new ways to fly-ee-y-ee-y-y-y-y~
Sparky flapped his wings along with Petunia and they burped out dragon fire in front of them before they, Hitch, and Azumarill were joined by Pipp, Swanna, and Bounsweet as they twirled and bounced along the stage while they all sang.
Zipp - With a little bit of confidence~
Sunny - And a little bit of kindness~
All - We can make it fun! To! Do!~
Work together, make it better~
Workin' smarter with each other~
Work together, make it better~
Work, work, let's unite~
Everypony shining bright~
Work, work, work it out~
Everypony shout it loud~
While the rest of the Pokemon onstage clapped and danced along, as the stars were singing, Misty and Edge Blade reflected on their pasts with Opaline Arcana from Edge running away with the Fillies Three and having to care for them all by herself and Misty being manipulated and used by the alicorn following her "adoption" before they encountered Sunny and her friends, their meetings with them changing them for the better. The fillies in question babbled happily before they fluttered over to their adoptive family with Biltz and some of Race and Sarah's Pokemon joining them.
Through the Mane 5 and Sparky, as well as the journey that led them to where they are now, the former friendless and lost unicorn and the former mute and rebellious surrogate of Opaline were shown what they needed in their lives, culminating in their first confrontation together with the dark alicorn, resulting in Misty finally earning her Cutie Mark after she freed her friends and denounced her as her teacher and caretaker.
Blitz - Play a new game~
Curly - Fun is the game~
Pikachu Couple - It's all in the way you try-y-y~
Bella - So comе with me~
Robbie - In harmony~
Together - Discovering ways to shine~
Sunny also did a little reminiscing as she remembered the message from her father after she and her friends discovered an old recording he left behind for her which told her that her friends can be a family as well. At that moment, after her first adventure from the moments she met each of them, she couldn't be any happier with them despite Arygle being gone from her life forever.
Zipp - With a little bit of confidence~
Sunny - And a little bit of kindness~
All - We can make it fun! To! Do!~
Work together, make it better~
Workin' smarter with each other~
Work together, make it better~
Work, work, let's unite~
Everypony shining bright~
Work, work, work it out~
Everypony shout it loud~
(A Friend For Life - MLP: Equestria Girls)
Sarah - A friend for life, that's what you are to me~
Azumarill - A friend for life, that's what you are to me~
Pipp - I couldn't see what was right there in front of me. Turned my back, got my mind off track, yeah~
Sunny - You saw a world that was something new entirely, helped me to see all the possibilities~
Izzy - Ooooohhh... Like a star in the daylight or like a diamond at night.
Your light was hidden from my sight~
Sarah - A friend for life, that's what you are to me~
Azumarill - A friend for life, that's what you are to me~
The crowd went nuts for the performance they were being given as they cheered, applauded, whistled, and hollered loudly for everybody on stage and even Ash and the gang couldn't help but feel happy for Misty turning her life around after all the pain and torture she went through. The Natsu Matsuri went off without a hitch this time as everybody enjoyed themselves well into the night with the Pokemon, dragons, people, and pups gathered enjoying the food, the games, and the festivities together as intended.
With the female Jigglypuff playing a fishing game, Nikki and James did their best to avoid her while Blitz, Curly, Plusle, and Minum helped themselves and the younglings of the Pikachu Couple's family with some cotton candy.
Barley was still enthralled by the food being offered and he tried to eat everything that looked delicious in his eyes but he let out a pout and whined as Glastrier picked him up and took him away while Harmony and the other pups helped themselves with some Masaladas and Sarah's homemade Pinap/Nanab-flavored Pup Treats.
Now, being more responsible and courteous of others, Snorlax happily shared the food with the other Pokemon and people while Meowth and Wobbuffet ended up being subject to a prank pulled by some mischievous Gastly. But, all in all, Adventure Bay's first-ever Natsu Matsuri was a huge success and it was one nobody gathered would ever forget for a long, long time.
Zipp - Every friendship is tested, you say you're sincere but it's all unclear now~
Pipp - But, with a word, everything changes and just like that, you and I are right back~
Azumarill - Ooooohhh... Like a star in the daylight or like a diamond at night. Your light was hidden from my sight~
Sarah - Your light will shine when the time is right~
Sunny & Hitch - A friend for life, that's what you are to me~
Izzy & Misty - A friend for life, that's what you are to me~
Misty - When I put my hand out and I thought I would fall~
Hitch - You knew what I needed and you came around to fix it all~
Pipp & Azumarill - A friend for life, that's what you are to me~
Sarah & Misty - A friend for life, that's what you are to me~
All - A friend for life, that's what you are to me~ (Azumarill - Like a star in the daylight~)
A friend for life, that's what you are to me~ (Azumarill - Like a diamond at night~)
Sarah - That's what you are to me~
(FIN)
(Up Next: Alola Sarah Pikachu Short Movie Event)