Liko - Thanks to everyone, my pendant and Sarah and Race's Terapagos were safe and we drove off Spindel, for now. After several unintended delays, we're finally on our way to the Galar Region to find my grandmother! Oh yeah, and Dot revealed her secret; she's not a Nidothing fan, she's the REAL NIDOTHING!
Morning came the next day as the Rising Volt Tacklers joined by Sarah and the others (including her, Asha, and Race's classmates from Uva and Blueberry Academies with Clavell and Cyrano's approval and blessings, and her family) were finally flying to the Galar Region to find Liko's grandmother: Diana. After a recent scuffle against Spindel from the Explorers, and protecting the Terapagos Three and the pendant in Liko's possession, the heroes could enjoy themselves again.
With Liko, she and Sprigatito were outside the door to Dot's room (the latter pacing back and forth as she held her partner in her arms), still thinking over the shocking revelation that her internet idol, Nidothing, turned out to be Dot.
"Man, this is crazy... I can't calm down. Nidothing, THE Nidothing, is right behind this door and it was Dot all along. Uh... My heart can't keep up after all that last night, my head knows. My heart is like, 'Come on, Heart, catch up! Just give me a second brain!'," she thought as her nerves ran wild just as Roy came up to her.
"Liko! Have you seen Fuecoco and Wattrel?" he questioned his Paldea friend.
With said Storm Petrel Pokémon, he was outside on the observation deck, sunbathing as he soaked in the sun's rays with nobody around disturbing him from his moment of peace and contentment. That was until Roy's partner came in and took long and deep breaths next to him. Annoyed by this, Wattrel quickly moved to a different spot to have his personal space. Unfortunately, for him, Fuecoco didn't understand the meaning of "personal space" right away and he simply slunk alongside him, further annoying the little Flying/Electric Type as he glowered at him.
Now, understandably, as he was still young, Fuecoco doesn't catch on to certain things as quickly as others. The concept of "personal space" is obviously one of them as he watched Wattrel continue to move to different spots and he'd follow suit, wanting to spend a little time with him.
It was apparent to Liko when she, Sprigatito, and Roy finally found them and saw what was going on as Fuecoco still didn't understand that Wattrel wanted to be alone for a moment as Roy grinned at them, "Oh, there you two are!"
"What's this? Wattrel seems kind of annoyed for some reason but what?"
To say Wattrel was "kind of annoyed" would be an understatement because, after trying and failing to let Fuecoco know that he wants his personal space to have a little "Me Time", he finally had enough and lashed out at the little Fire Croc Pokemon with a barrage of Peck attacks on his head. Fuecoco, in response, screamed in pain before he angrily rammed him in response which shocked Roy as he desperately tried to get them to stop fighting.
"Hey, hey! Come on, you two! Break it up, stop fighting! How can you two fight when we're having nice weather such as this? Let's just relax and enjoy the day, okay?" he told them.
Fuecoco smiled in response to that as he turned himself to the clear skies before the group and began to sing his song with Roy joining along. This worked for them but Wattrel didn't share their interest in singing as he became pissed off at how loud and off-key they were singing. It had gotten so bad for him that he was forced to unleash Uproar to make them shut up, irritating Fuecoco as he began to sing louder to the point of them threatening to make Roy, Liko, and Sprigatito's ear drums explode as they covered or flattened their ears.
"THIS ISN'T RELAXING!"
"WHATEVER IT IS, MAKE IT STOP-AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" they wailed in pain before a series of Electric, Ice, and Fire attacks burned, froze, and shocked the two frenemies as they plopped onto the floor.
"Wattrel, Fuecoco!" Roy gasped in bewilderment as he checked his two-Pokemon team before he and the others with him heard an angrily, "HEY!", from alongside the Brave Olivine on its right.
Fuecoco and Wattrel shook themselves off and turned to snap at the ones responsible for attacking them and they went pale as they were greeted by the sight of a disheveled and angry Sarah still in her PJs and holding a pillow by her right arm joined by her entire lion Pokemon pride, all of them looking irritated and fed up with bags under their eyes and unkempt fur and bed heads.
Since Lion, Kiara, their pride, and Sarah were trying to sleep in after the events of last night, they had the unfortunate pleasure of being woken up so abruptly and rudely by Roy's team when Wattrel and Fuecoco's rivalry devolved into a full-on shouting match by their singing and Uproar attack.
"Roy, I don't mean to snap at you guys since I'm not in the mood to give you a training beatdown but...COULD YOU TELL WATTREL AND FUECOCO TO SHUT UP BACK THERE?!" the little princess barked, disgruntled.
"Yeah, man, we're trying to sleep after last night!"
"We're having a nice time in bed after last night's ordeal with Spindel until your Moe Howard and Larry Fine decided to wake us up with their stupid rivalry!"
"I second that, I was having a nice dream until those two idiots decided to give us a musical Uproar alarm clock to bring us out of Dreamland!"
"In layman's terms, make them cease this petty squabbling of theirs and don't ever wake us up this early again or the princess will have them working double-time on your training today!" Kion, Kovu, Sarafina, and Umbra concurred before all of them filed back into the Dragon Craft to continue catching some Zs.
Liko, Roy, and their Pokemon gulped fearfully at the promise and they all winced as Sarah angrily slammed the door to the Dragon Craft's sundeck shut as the young adventurer could only reply with a meek, "Uh, oops... Sorry!"
(Theme Song - Anywhere My Pokémon Go)
I love watching how my Pokémon grow
I'm sharing everything my Pokémon know
(We open with Sarah and her family with the Viking Teens as they find themselves in Paldea as part of Sarah's vacation plan before the little princess and Race are shown finding Miraidon and Koraidon on the beach before meeting Nemona, Penny, and Arven from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet)
Nighttime, daytime, there are shining more so
I'll go anywhere my Pokémon go
(We see Sarah and Hootie joining forces with Liko and her partner, Sprigatito, as they all perform Leafage before we meet a boy named Roy and his Pokémon, Fuecoco, battling Sarah as she summoned her Primarina, Aqua, and they begin to have a battle. Then, we cut to one of the villains belonging to a new team of foes named Amethio using a Ceruledge to square off against Sarah as she fights with Kaji and Keldeo before a new Pokémon Professor, Friede, and his crew: the Rising Volt Tacklers are shown with their Pokémon)
Anything you wanna see, (Ooh!) anything you wanna do
Promise you can be with me, be with me, (Yeah!) I can be with you
(We soon find our heroes joined by Edgar, Henna, Stoick, Gobber, their Pokémon and dragons, Nemona, Penny, and Arven as they find themselves in Area Zero where Sarah's Walking Wake and Iron Leaves, Link and Zelda, are facing an army of Paradox Pokémon in front of them. Then, Sarah and Race's necklaces glow with the former accessing the power of Terastallization for her Pokemon as she Terastallizes and Mega Evolves them before the royal couple, the Viking Teens, Miraidon, Koraidon, Liko, Roy, Nemona, Arven, and Penny are shown together as they stare out into the heavens)
I wanna go around and around and around the world with you
I'll go anywhere my Pokémon go
Trials of Sarah: Pokémon Horizons
(End Theme Song)
"Alright, everyone, it's Snack Time!" Murdock announced cheerfully as he laid out bowls of Pokémon food for the Pokémon in the Brave Olivine "Wait for it, not yet... Okay, dig in!"
Upon his call, Sprigatito, Rockruff, and the rest of the Brave Olivine Pokémon happily tucked into their Pokémon Food and Berry mix in pairs.
There was even one bowl for Fuecoco and Wattrel with the Storm Petrel Pokémon going up to it and taking one pellet before eating it while Fuecoco joined him to share their meal. However, still sore that he wouldn't let him have his "Me Time" that morning, Wattrel moved away to continue eating his pellet before getting another one later, still content with having his personal space. This got Liko curious and his actions worried Roy as the latter wondered whether or not Wattrel would fit in with the other Pokémon, especially his partner even though they were frenemies.
"You know, I wonder if it's just that Wattrel isn't used to energetic and more social personalities such as Fuecoco's," the young girl pondered thoughtfully.
"I guess that would be it... I just want them to get along with each other," the young adventurer sighed.
Fuecoco soon noticed that Wattrel wasn't eating with everyone else let alone him so he brought their bowl over to him to let him enjoy the company he now had but the little Electric/Flying Type was still uncomfortable with having his personal space violated in any way. It didn't take long for him to let out his anger at Fuecoco for not understanding the concept of "personal space" again, giving him another barrage of angry Peck attacks and leaving Murdock, Liko, and Roy flabbergasted while everyone else with them continued to eat or look on in amusement.
"Oh, there they go again! G-G-Guys, come on! Don't do that!" Roy yelped in panic, unsure of how to get them to stop as they carried on with their fighting.
"Well, I can see those two are making quite the fracas again," Friede chuckled as he and Cap arrived at the scene.
"I can't tell if they're friends or enemies," Mollie quipped with an amused smile as everybody else save for the rest of the Pokémon eating watched Fuecoco and Wattrel carry on with their petty squabbling.
By this point, Fuecoco was emitting small flames from his mouth as he was preparing to burn Wattrel to a crisp to get him to stop pecking him which made Roy recoil in panic. But, that was put to a stop almost immediately when a small plasma blast was shot towards them and it struck them, knocking them onto the hull's wall and startling everyone on deck.
"OW! That hurt!"
"What's the big id-?!"
"YEOW!" they began angrily before they turned and yelped in fright when they saw an angry and disappointed Sarah joined by Winter and Totem Luxray, Rayna, and the rest of their pride.
"Wattrel, Fuecoco... Stern, now, you're on time-out; double-time training from today and no meals until two quit being big babies," Sarah ordered bluntly to the pair.
"W-Wha-NO MEALS?! Sarah's, that's not fair!"
"Yeah! I'm the victim here! This big mouth here doesn't know what 'personal space' means since he never-!" the Fire Croc and Storm Petrel Pokémon barked indignantly at her.
"Don't argue with the princess, young men! She's doing this for your sake and your partner's! You can see how distressed Young Roy is about you two going at each other like two spoiled brats fighting over a single toy they're supposed to share! This is not how you should be faring as a team! Unless you want to go without a decent meal for a week or so and make trouble for him as well as everyone else aboard this unique craft, I suggest you listen well to her and not question her authority for the boy's sake as well! Is that clear?" Totem Luxray growled warningly as he cut them off, making Fuecoco and Wattrel hug each other tightly and shiver fearfully as his disappointed glare pierced through them and they nodded at him.
Sarah also nodded as she then said to Roy, "You two, Roy."
Roy gulped worriedly until Sarah softened and apologized for what happened this morning, "Hey. Don't worry, I know I overreacted and you couldn't help it when they started fighting, I'm sorry... But, this can't go on forever and we need to give you a few pointers on how to have Wattrel and Fuecoco understand each other and work as a team. You know Fuecoco's no longer your only Pokémon now that you have Wattrel and you've officially started a team with them together, right? Come on, let's get back to the stern..."
The young adventurer nodded as he joined the little princess, her Light Fury, and her lion Pokémon pride as they went to the stern and its observation deck, the others watching on as Liko giggled in amusement.
"So, what about you, Liko? Ready to catch your second Pokémon while you're at it?" Orla asked her suddenly, throwing the young girl for a loop at the suggestion to build herself a Pokémon team.
Liko blinked in surprise as she looked back at her partner eating with Rockruff and thought about it; ever since her adventure started and after everything the pair went through together, Liko never thought about catching a second Pokémon and building a team just as Roy had when he captured Wattrel and accepted him into their little family. She was worried that if she had another Pokémon on her and gave much of her attention to it, she would unintentionally ignore Sprigatito and make her jealous all over again and what happened back at Cabo Poco was a mistake she didn't want to make again.
"Another Pokémon, someone other than Sprigatito? I know trainers can have more than one Pokémon, six being the limit if anybody's looking to challenge a Pokémon League... This was especially the case with Race and Sarah despite how extreme their placement on it is judging by the amount of Pokémon they have between them but I never really thought about that before... What other Pokémon do I want later on, how would Sprigatito take to that Pokémon should I catch one?"
Meanwhile, Lazuli was out on the Dragon Craft's sundeck, meditating as she let the wind rustle through her air as the jet and the Brave Olivine continued on their way to the Galar Region. As she meditated, she sighed, recalling her confrontation with Spindel and his subordinates and the battle that followed suit the night before which rekindled her eternal hatred for the Explorers. She had no idea why she let him go when she was so close to achieving her goal of killing the monster who made her into his syndicate's child soldier and its Female Battousai given how she was in the moment and her element at that time. A part of her tried to tell her why she allowed him and his Umbreon to escape so she could face them when the time of their and the Explorers' end was nigh but she wasn't too sure...
"You okay, kid?"
"You were on fire last night and I thought you were going to kill Spindel when we had him beaten given that you've left his Beeheyem with a massive sword scar, and later on, Arboliva stopped them and the rest of their crew in their tracks when she appeared," Mr. Hu and Mistral asked her as gently as they could.
They watched on worriedly as the swordswoman gave off a sliver of tension from her body (which they sensed after finding and joining her) even if she tried not to show it while she meditated.
At last, she opened her eyes and gave a deep sorrowful sigh as she twiddled her thumbs and admitted, "I... I don't know, was I right...? To let them go, like I did? Even after we finished off his grunts and chucked them to the authorities back in Levincia, why didn't I do it...? I'm sure they're gonna come back stronger than ever because of that. I'm scared... The princess and her family; I really screwed them up and their friends, all because of my hatred for the Explorers..."
"Don't talk like that, kiddo. You saw how capable they were; even that tiny kitten of the princess', Shade, was quite the fighter herself the previous night," Mr. Hu reassured her.
"Don't you think I know that? You've no idea how brutal they can really be... Amethio, Zirc, Onia, and Spindel; you saw how they proved themselves to be a formidable challenge against them and we all saw how the battles went. But, they've never tangled with the likes of Sango, Onyx, and Agate; I wouldn't be surprised if Spindel told them I was alive after disappearing on them for the past four months... They're a greater team and much more powerful compared to those four; if they're sent out into the fold, after knowing that I'm alive and with my new friends, I honestly don't know how this will end..."
Mr. Hu and Mistral couldn't find it in themselves to rebuke her words so they kept quiet and didn't say another word as the former Explorer continued to meditate.
The troubling atmosphere they're in didn't affect Dot and Quaxly, however, as they made another Nidothing video with their current video discussing the many different ways a Pokémon Trainer can catch more Pokémon and battle alongside them while having fun.
Their enthusiasm, on the other hand, was not shared by Wattrel and Fuecoco as they were taking a break after pulling an extensive training drill by Sarah, Winter, and her Pokémon pride (the little princess hoping that the intense training she's putting them through would help them let out some steam from their bickering and get them settled down, helping Roy figure out how to get them to work together and be more personable with each other).
The regime did work to an extent, but to Sarah and Roy's dismay, it had little to no effect as Wattrel and Fuecoco were left with a myriad of scratches and bruises and they were even more miffed at each other over the morning's events. They and their current party were on the airship's observation deck as they turned away from each other angrily like petty siblings and refused to speak to each other, leaving poor Roy in the middle to act as their mediator, big brother, or parental figure to help them get along.
"Come on! You're both on the same team, so let's just... Listen, Wattrel, all Fuecoco wanted was to be friends and hang out with you and stuff," Roy pleaded to Wattrel who only gave Fuecoco an indignant and annoyed look before turning away again, making Sarah (who was watching with her lion Pokémon pride from behind them) wince at the sight and regretting her earlier punishment for him the pair as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
Roy just sighed as he turned to his partner with a sheepish smile and continued, "Come on, Fuecoco, what's the point in holding a petty grudge? Just let it go and go back to your normal happy self, let's sing together if it makes you happy."
Fuecoco turned to his partner as he watched Roy singing to him, and immediately, he began to smile again and join in the fun. This only served to irk Wattrel as he tried and failed to block them out and finally used Uproar again to shut them up. This didn't last long, though, as they suddenly heard a loud explosion coming from the Brave Olivine's bow.
"Huh, what was that?!" Roy shrieked in surprise.
Sarah heard the explosion but smiled as she went to the Wing Deck with her pride and Roy and his team followed, discovering/knowing the source of the explosion being Kaji, Nemona's Killowattrel (the evolved form of Wattrel), and Serpent (Sarah's female Miraidon) in a Master Triangle Battle against Cap. As they fought, the Pikachu in question threw a Thunderpunch at Kaji who countered with Dragon Claw before Serpent came at him with Shadow Claw to try and take him surprise.
The Brave Olivine captain heard her coming and smirked before he nudged the male Charizard back hard and zipped out of the way, causing Serpent to gasp in surprise and halt her attack before she could hit Kaji by mistake.
"Wow! Cap is really strong!" Nemona beamed at Cap's strength just as Sarah, her pride, Roy, Fuecoco, and Wattrel arrived to see the training battle getting on (much to the young adventurer's surprise).
Huh, Serpent, Kaji, and Nemona's Killowattrel are all fighting against Cap? he asked in astonishment.
Seeing an opening, Cap burst forward at Kaji and Serpent at lightning speed before the former noticed him coming and shot Flamethrower, making Cap flip and dodge the Fire Type move to his right before he was swatted by Killowattrel with a Wing Attack.
"Good job, Killowattrel! Spark!" Nemona ordered, allowing her Frigatebird Pokémon to use Spark at the powerful Mouse Pokémon who jumped over it to dodge once it was within range.
"Whoa! Flamethrower and Spark? Kaji is just as amazing as Friede's Charizard, right, Fuecoco? He was one of your idols!" Roy marveled at Fuecoco who could only star with starstruck eyes and reply, "He's so cool...!"
He then turned to Wattrel for his opinion but he noticed that his eyes were fixated on Serpent, Cap, and Killowattrel as they carried on with their training. He was particularly interested in all three of them compared to Kaji, especially his evolved form as it performed Spark once more and Cap dodged it again before he came at Serpent with Thunderpunch and the female Miraidon clashed with Shadow Claw in return, getting into a short deadlock of Dark Type and Electric Type power.
"Oh, I get it... You're an Electric Type as well as a Flying Type so you're interested in Killowattrel, Serpent, and Cap's moves, right?"
"Hey, hey, hey! You pick up on his interests quickly, little dude! And, you're right on the dot; one of Nemona's Pokémon is an Electric Type, and believe it or not, she once caught the flying fella before you as a Wattrel beforehand," Rotoscope cut in as he appeared from Sarah's pocket and scanned Killowattrel, reading its entry and leaving Roy even more astonished, "Killowattrel, the Frigate Pokémon. An Electric and Flying Type, and the evolved form of Wattrel, Killowattrel inflates its throat sac to amplify its electricity. By riding the wind, this little Pokemon can fly over 430 miles in a single day."
"Oh, so Nemona also caught a Wattrel before Liko and I met her, huh?" the young boy breathed, amazed.
"Okay, stop!" Sarah called as she came over, raising her hand and making Kaji, Cap, Serpent, and Killowattrel stop their training battle.
"Good job, everybody, that's one way to get your hearts pumping!" Nemona grinned at the four Pokémon while winking at Friede and Sarah.
Friede chuckled as he continued to smirk and tell them, "Right, I think that's enough for now. Not bad for your first Master Triangle Battle, eh, Cap?"
"Ingenious battle style there!"
"Exactly."
"Ark, very ingenious!"
"Piece of cake," the four Pokémon replied.
"Hey, Sarah, Nemona, why are you having Serpent, Kaji, and Killowattrel spar with Cap?" Roy puzzled Sarah and her classmate curiously.
"Why not? What better way to get yourself worked up than a good ol' Pokémon brawl between friends?" Nemona giggled simply with Friede smiling in agreement as he answered his question.
"Hmm? Well, it's a little bit of exercise; Sarah and Nemona were putting us and Charizard through our paces teaching us how to do Master Triangle Battles, it's also a bit of a stress relief. Plus, if they practice hard enough together, it deepens their friendship, you know?" the unconventional professor informed as he watched his Charizard join Cap, Serpent, Killowattrel, and Kaji with the five of them having a little bit of fun banter between them before horsing around a bit.
"Right," Cap concurred as he got on Charizard's head and they grinned.
"A little bit of stress relief and it deepens their friendship," Roy echoed thoughtfully before he got a great idea on how to help Wattrel and his partner gel with each other. "That's it, Fuecoco!"
"What's it?" Fuecoco asked as he turned to his human partner.
"Both of you!" Roy clarified as he turned to Wattrel as well.
"Both?" Wattrel puzzled, unsure of what Roy was thinking as he thought back to Cap, Serpent, and Killowattrel's battling.
And, so, it was arranged; it wasn't long before Fuecoco and Wattrel found themselves face to face with Serpent and Cap for a sparring match as they stared at their sparring opponents. What the young boy had in mind was a Double Battle stress reliever; still wanting his team to get along like a house on fire and not be at each other's throats for petty reasons all the time, Roy requested to Friede and Sarah that he'd have a Double Battle with them, having Serpent and Cap as their opponents so they can battle it out together and forget about their petty grievances that morning.
Of course, this was straight out of left field for both Wattrel and Fuecoco as they stared at the female Miraidon and Friede's Pikachu on the other side of the Wing Deck. Nemona and Killowattrel, on the other hand, watched from the door with the little princess' pride while Friede, Sarah, Kaji, and Charizard were on the opposite side, interested to see how the Double Battle plays out.
"Okay, let's go full power! After all, Cap and Serpent are both incredibly strong!"
"Let's go," Cap smirked as he and Serpent nodded, both of them eager to spar.
Wattrel first went up to the pair as he carefully looked at them, making Cap feel a little uncomfortable when he got up in his face before he daringly squawked at them and spread his wings. This took Roy, Fuecoco, Cap, and Serpent by surprise as they realized that he wanted to fight them right now, wanting to test his skills against his stronger opponents and having full confidence in himself and only himself in the upcoming battle.
"COME ON!" he dared.
"Huh?!"
"Uh...?" Fuecoco balked or quipped, staring in bewilderment while Serpent just blinked at him.
"Uh, well... It looks like he's really looking for a challenge in them," Roy muttered nervously over Watterl's eagerness to battle his fellow Electric Types, getting an intrigued smirk from Friede as he made the first move with Fuecoco. "Alright, Fuecoco, use Ember!"
With the Double Battle stress reliever underway, Fuecoco fired Ember at Cap and Serpent which the two of them dodged with little effort before Roy allowed Wattrel to make the next call.
"Watttrel, use Uproar!"
Wattrel was up next as he used Uproar to try and stop them in their tracks, but while Cap was forced to cover his ears so he wouldn't get his ear drums blasted, Serpent was perfectly fine as her robotic hearing remained sturdy. After a moment, they both moved out of the way but Wattrel followed them as he took the initiative to attack them, running as he kept his wings out and they sparked with electricity only to miss when they dodged his improvised attack.
"Whoa! Hey, Rotom, what do you call that move?" Roy asked his Rotom Phone which appeared and told him, "That move with Spark."
"Spark, huh? Hmm, alright! Wattrel, use Spark! Fuecoco, use Tackle!"
Now knowing what Wattrel's improvised attack was, Roy allowed him and Fuecoco to charge at the pair before them once more with the Storm Petrel Pokémon using Spark and his partner using Tackle who continued to dodge. At that moment, Murdock and the rest of the Brave Olivine crew appeared to watch the sparring match, deciding to check on Roy and his team after their Pokémon finished their snack time.
"Oh, they're really battling now," grinned Murdock as he held Rockruff by his right arm.
"Give it all you got, Roy!" Orla (while holding her Elekid) cheered as she and Mollie along with Chansey, Liko, and Sprigatito followed suit.
Liko was surprised as she watched Wattrel and Fuecoco continuing their sparring match with Serpent and Cap and could only mutter, "Fuecoco and Wattrel, they're fighting together...? But, weren't they fighting each other just earlier?"
"Wattrel, use Spark! Fuecoco, use Tackle!" Roy encouraged, starting to grow a little frustrated upon seeing his team not landing a hit on Cap and Serpent as they continued to go at them one at a time. "You both need to work as a team to do this!"
"Work together...? Wait, he's trying to get them to work together to beat Serpent and Cap..."
At this point, nothing's changed until Serpent and Cap find themselves seemingly boxed in by Wattrel and Fuecoco, the two of them having managed to get them back to back and preparing themselves for a final assault.
"Alright! Wattrel, Fuecoco, use Spark and Tackle, together!" Roy grinned as he had his team go at them.
But, the Brave Olivine Captain and the female futuristic Paradox Pokémon scoffed at them before they looked at each other and winked, jumping away from the pair just when they were at point-blank range. This tried-and-true tactic was more than Fuecoco and Wattrel to handle as they ended up crashing into and knocking each other out, both of them getting swirls over their eyes as the sparring match went to Cap and Serpent.
Roy breathed sheepishly at his team's embarrassing failure as Mollie quipped, "Probably should've expected that."
"...I can't tell whether or not that woman's being sarcastic or brutally honest with a compliment like that," Andres remarked awkwardly at Mollie.
"Agreed," concurred Whisker, also feeling awkward about the traveling doctor.
"Game," Serpent sniggered as she landed near Sarah.
The two downed Pokémon recovered from the hard knock they had but Wattrel was fuming as he rammed Fuecoco and snapped at him out of spite, "Why'd you get in my way, you big ox? I had 'em!"
"I got in your way?! You got us beaten last night!" Fuecoco snapped back as he angrily rammed into Wattrel.
"I didn't get us BEAT!" Wattrel raged as he unleashed a flurry of angry Peck attacks on the Fire Croc Pokémon.
"Again...? Come on, you two! Knock it off!" groaned Roy as he went over to break up their argument. "We were working together a few seconds ago!"
"And, so it goes..."
"Looks like Roy's got his hands full," Orla and Murdock commented before Serpent frowned and came up to the trio before slamming her paws down hard on Roy's team.
"AH! Serpent, what'd you do that for?!" Roy spluttered in shock as Sarah came up to him, Wattrel, and Fuecoco and knelt before them.
"Sorry, Roy, but while it's true that some people and Pokémon become good friends by fighting a lot, it sometimes comes at the cost of their comradery and teamwork. Sometimes, it's best to give two hotheads like Fuecoco and Wattrel a little tough love to get their heads together; they need to learn how to battle in sync with each other and they need to do so, especially, in the heat of the moment. They think one of them is to blame for them being knocked out last night but they're both at fault for not paying attention and getting lost in a moment of victory when they'd beaten Spindel's Magnaton," the little princess informed as gently as she could while Fuecoco and Wattrel groaned and held their aching heads.
"Kids," sighed Cap as Friede and Charizard could only smirk in amusement.
Ring-ring-ring! Ring-ring-ring! Ring-ring-ring!
Suddenly, Friede's Rotom Phone rang without warning and he quickly answered it, getting an urgent emergency call from Dot just as everyone felt the breeze around them starting to pick up.
"Heads up," Dot informed from her bedroom.
"Hey, Dot, what's going on?" the unconventional professor asked in greeting.
"We got a lot of turbulence coming at us from a mile ahead, don't think we could avoid it. Might want to start preparing..."
"Understood," Friede nodded as he ended the call and he, Charizard, and Cap prepared to head inside.
"Did she say 'turbulence'?" Orla asked, getting worried.
"Yeah, and it's coming up fast, it'll be on us at about a mile soon. You all know what to do. Alright, let's go, Cap."
"Roger that, pal," Cap nodded as he joined Friede and they headed for the bridge just as everyone else began to file in (with Sarah's Pokémon pride rushing off to teleport back into the Dragon Craft).
"Roy, you need to get indoors, quick!" Murdock warned Roy.
"Yeah, okay!" Roy called.
"We should help the ship's Pokémon calm down until we're out of the oncoming turbulence. Think you can help me with that?" Mollie asked Liko.
"Uh, sure," Liko nodded as she went with the traveling doctor while Sarah, Nemona, Killowattrel, and Serpent joined the little princess' pride to return to the Dragon Craft.
"Pitter, patter, everybody," Chansey noted as she joined her human partner.
"Let go! Let me at 'im, let me at 'im, LET ME AT 'IM!"
But, Roy was slow in following everyone else's lead as he still tried to get Fuecoco and Wattrel to get along and work together as a team, doing his best to prevent Wattrel from getting into another fight with Fuecoco as he told him, "Come on, Wattrel! Calm down!"
"I'm heading in, OK?" Liko called to Roy as she and Sprigatito followed after Mollie and Chansey.
In the engine room, Slugma was working his hardest in the Brave Olivine's boiler as he readied himself for his part while Orla and Charizard (who joined them as they needed his firepower to help push through the wind) did the same. Even Charcoal was pushing himself as he rolled as fast as he could on his wheel to keep the airship's engines going.
"Ready, fellas!" Slugma called.
"We need full power, everyone!" Orla commanded, allowing Charizard to breathe Flamethrower into the boiler and give it more power while the Lava Pokémon added to that with his own heat.
With the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft entering the turbulence zone at full power (as the little princess already alerted MK-1 to the danger at hand), the heroes braced themselves and prepared to endure the full blast of the wind being blown at them. Despite the extreme pressure of the wind from their current altitude, the Dragon Craft's aerodynamic structure allowed Sarah and her party to travel smoothly as they flew above the Rising Volt Tacklers.
"We're managing to avoid the brunt," Friede quipped as he and Cap manned the bridge, knowing that everyone was not out of danger yet.
The Brave Olivine rocked a little as it did its best to endure the fierce winds blowing its way. The rocking and rolling it was going through was so bad despite the ship avoiding the brunt of the turbulence, it frightened some of the Pokémon in Mollie's office such as the wild Noctowl, a Shuckle, a Snorunt, and, in particular, a Pawmi (who squealed in fright and hid underneath Chansey).
"There's nothing to be afraid of. You're perfectly safe in here," Liko reassured Snorunt as it was looking worried.
Pawmi looked back at her and Mollie with a worried squeak but they and Sprigatito gave her warm and reassuring smiles with the young girl nodding at it, knowing that they'll be out of danger soon.
However, the traveling doctor immediately noticed something amiss as she told Liko, "Roy's Pokémon aren't here, I hope they're not still out on the deck."
"I'll go take a look."
"Me, too!" Liko and Sprigatito replied as they went to check on Roy, Fuecoco, and Wattrel.
"Be careful out there," Mollie warned as they left.
With Sarah and her party, they were making sure that everything and everyone was safely secure inside the Dragon Craft as they could still feel small bumps from the turbulence coming at them despite its aerodynamic shape.
"I hope Liko, Roy, and the others are doing okay," Penny pondered, worried for the Rising Volt Tacklers as her Veevees comforted her.
"I'm sure they knew about the turbulence we're in and are already battening down the hatches on their end, Penny. By the looks of it, they got everything under control as did we," Nemona reassured her with a smile.
"Hey, guys! Check it out, Roy and his Pokémon aren't inside the Brave Olivine yet!" Ruffnut gasped in surprise, directing everyone to the Dragon Craft's windows and seeing the young adventurer still trying to get Fuecoco and Wattrel to stop their petty rivalry to work together.
"What, is he crazy or something?!"
"Urgh, stupid-! He's gonna get himself killed!" Sarah and Lazuli balked.
"Roy!"
"We have to get him and his Pokémon back inside the ship!" Delilah and Doug noted, knowing what they have to do to protect him and his team.
"Toothless and I will keep an eye on them! Liko, you stay here," Hiccup volunteered before turning to his Riolu who nodded, knowing to stay out of danger given the situation at hand.
"Alright! But, until we're out of the turbulence area, stay with them at all times!" Sarah nodded as she went to one of the Dragon Craft's side doors to let them out carefully, allowing them
"Ugh... I thought if I had you two teamed up in battle, it'd help you get along but Serpent and Cap are both way out of our league," Roy groaned miserably until he put on a brave face and tried to figure out what went wrong with Wattrel and Fuecoco's teamwork (as they stubbornly refused to face each other), "We couldn't get a single attack to land on either of them but just one good attack might've helped you guys to-!"
Suddenly, Roy was cut short when he, Wattrel, and Fuecoco felt the Brave Olivine starting to rock side to side, making them realize they had stayed out for too long and they needed to get back inside the airship before they either slide off or are blown away.
"HEY! ROY!" Hiccup screamed, getting the panicked trio's attention as they frantically turned and saw him and Toothless riding the wind from their right to get close to them. "What are you, Fuecoco, and Wattrel doing? Get inside the ship before you get ripped off, literally!"
"Uh, right! I think we'd all better get inside now, you two!" Roy nodded as he told his partners to do the same.
"Right!" the Fire Croc and Storm Petrel Pokémon agreed as they, Roy, Hiccup, and Toothless raced out of the Wing Deck and scrambled to get back into the Brave Olivine.
But, just as they were about to reach the door, a powerful gust of wind blew at them, forcing them to try and hold their ground only for Wattrel to be easily blown away by the wind due to his smaller size.
"W-WATTREL!" Roy yelped in alarm.
"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted to his dragon who nodded as he flew towards the small Electric/Flying Type who managed to steady himself and put his body in a diving position, managing to divebomb into Hiccup's arms and allowing him and Toothless to bring him back to the Brave Olivine. "Hang in there, Wattrel, you're gonna be just fine!"
As all of this was going on, Liko and Sprigatito arrived to witness the chaos happening before them as the former called out, "Hiccup, Toothless, Roy! You all have to get inside, quickly!"
"We're working on it!" Roy called back as he held onto Fuecoco who noticed a large tree branch being blown towards Toothless from behind while Hiccup tended to Wattrel.
"Oh, no! Toothless, guys, look out! That tree branch!" Fuecoco screamed at the Night Fury and his passengers.
"Look out, Toothless!" Liko cried in horror as she also saw the tree branch, making them see the branch before Wattrel narrowed his eyes and formed himself out of Hiccup's arms, flying towards the branch with only the wind guiding him.
"Wattrel!"
The former Viking underdog was baffled by this as he and Roy screamed at Wattrel and reached out to him. But, the little Storm Petrel didn't hear them as he charged his wings with more electricity the closer he got to the branch. Finally, letting out a battle cry just as he reached a speed fast enough for him to break the branch, he coated himself in Electric Type energy and unleashed a more powerful version of Spark. That extra power was more than enough to allow him to bolt towards the tree branch and destroy it completely, saving his family/friends as well as his saviors and himself.
"That was incredible!"
"Groovy," breathed Roy and Fuecoco in astonishment as Liko could only stare at him in awe before Hiccup caught him again.
"Come on, guys, let's get out of Ms. Cirrus' wind-fest!" Hiccup shouted to Roy and Liko who nodded as they, Fuecoco, Wattrel, and Toothless scrambled inside.
Once they were all back inside the sunroom leading to the Brave Olivine's Wing Deck, Liko immediately shut the door and everybody gathered, Toothless included, breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was close..." Roy panted.
"Glad you're alright," Liko sighed, giving Roy a relieved smile.
"We're just glad we were able to pop by and get you out of this jam," Hiccup chuckled softly as Toothless nodded in agreement.
"Yeah... Thanks, Hiccup, Toothless," Roy thanked the former Viking underdog and his dragon before he excitedly told them and Liko (now completely oblivious to how close he, Wattrel, and Fuecoco were to death), "But, did you see that earlier? Wattrel just used Spark more powerfully and it was unlike last time during our sparring match with Cap and Serpent!"
"Yeah... It was, pretty amazing, huh?" Liko replied awkwardly.
"That power can go up against Cap's Thunderpunch and Serpent should she know any Electric Type attacks and win!"
The young adventurer then pondered, "But, I wonder why that power didn't come out earlier..."
"I may not know much about Pokémon but I heard from Sarah and Nemona that a Wattrel can build up electricity from riding the wind; unlike its evolved form, Killowattrel, which has an electric sack in its throat, Wattrel doesn't. The stronger the wind and the more it has on it, the more powerful its electricity could get at that point. It's similar to how Skrills build up their power in lightning storms; they only have so much power to go on even without being a few feet within a storm to keep them charged up and electrified. But, if they're in their element, they're practically almost invincible," Hiccup explained, getting Roy and Liko's interest as they and their partners turned to him and Toothless.
He turned to Roy and told him, "While you were rolling your head trying to get Wattrel and Fuecoco to work together, Wattrel could only get so much power from running alone. Also, with his small size, he can't maintain it for long..."
While Hiccup was speaking with Roy, the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft had made it safely out of the turbulence area. Friede and Cap, in the Brave Olivine's bridge, were relieved as they saw the wind die down and they and everybody else were flying back to normal.
"Phew, we made it through in one piece, all of us," Friede sighed with a smile as he informed Orla, Mollie, Murdock, and Sarah via his Rotom Phone. "Congratulations, crew, we did it! Everyone okay on your end, Sarah? We're finally out."
"Just peachy thanks to MK-1, Friede! Thanks for asking!"
"Ha-ha, yes!"
"Good work, everyone!"
"How 'bout I make some tea?"
"So, that means, if I could catch more wind for him during battle... But, how can I do it? How can I make that happen at the exact time? Aww, man..."
"I thought you wanted to help Fuecoco and Wattrel get along after their spats earlier but you're now thinking about how to help Wattrel improve on his fighting, especially with his Spark attack," Hiccup rebutted to Roy as he watched Wattrel look between Toothless and Fuecoco before he turned away from the Fire Croc Pokémon, still a little sore from their previous spats and feeling uncomfortable with them staring at him. "You do remember that Wattrel's small compared to his old flock and he's not the best flier, right? If that's the case, he would need a lot of wind to cross his wings. You got lucky when he saved us from that branch but it won't happen a second time given the danger present."
"Yeah, but, that Spark I saw during the storm has enough power to win in almost any battle! I just know it does, I just need to find a way to build up more wind power for Wattrel..."
"Roy..." Liko blinked, surprised by how determined Roy is to improve himself and his team.
That's when Hiccup recalled Wattrel diving down to his arms after he got himself blown away by the wind moments earlier, "You know, I did see Wattrel dive-bombing back to us the moment he got himself caught up on the wind..."
He then eyed Wattrel as he continued to muse, "If we're to have him dive bomb/soar down from a higher place, maybe at a greater height, the wind might just be strong enough to help him catch it and generate the power he needed to use Spark properly. He might have to do it the same way as Toothless and I did when we, Sarah, and Winter managed to kill off the Red Death Queen by fooling her and using their plasma blasts to burn her from the inside of her body. It could allow him to match the power of Cap's Thunderpunch, especially given what Nemona and Sarah told us regarding his, your, and Fuecoco's last spar with him and Serpent."
"If Wattrel soared down or dive-bombed..." Roy echoed thoughtfully before he got an idea and grinned as he called his team and headed out, "...Yeah, I can work with that! Come on, you two, it's Special Training Time! Thanks a bunch, Hiccup!"
As Roy, Fuecoco, and Wattrel went back out to the Wing Deck, the Mighty Knights leader, Toothless, and Liko couldn't help but stare at him, wondering what the young adventurer had in mind to improve on Wattrel's Spark attack.
"Special Training Time?" Liko echoed awkwardly.
Sure enough, after getting back on the Wing Deck, Roy had laid out the plan he had in mind for their next sparring match against Cap and Serpent regarding their new training session to his team, "Check it out; this is you, Fuecoco, and this here is you, Wattrel. Then, with me over here, we're talking triple combo."
"Uh..." Fuecoco replied blankly in confusion.
"What is this?" quizzed Wattrel after looking at the plan Roy drew on the piece of paper he brought with him.
"D-Do you like it?"
"No!"
"Forget it! NO, NO, NO! I'm not getting pecked by Beak Head again! MMPH!" the two snapped in anger and disgust as they turned away, not wanting to work together again.
But, Roy was undeterred as he replied, "Fuecoco! We're going to need all three of us to combine our strengths for this new maneuver I made to work."
For a moment, Fuecoco and Wattrel were still reluctant to go along with it but eventually, Wattrel accepted with a simple nod. The former was still reluctant to go along until he briefly thought the plan over and finally relented for both Roy's sake and that of their and Wattrel's team dynamic.
"Alright," he agreed.
Roy grinned in response, "Alright, then! Operation: Special Training Time begins now!"
"Right!"
Later that night, it was time for dinner, and Liko and the others in the Brave Olivine were treated to dinner by Murdock in the form of homemade cream soup with their Pokémon having new bowls of Pokémon food filled to the brim. To their surprise, as they were having their soup and bowls, they noticed that Roy, Fuecoco, and Wattrel weren't with them in the briefing room.
"Think they're gonna join us?" Orla puzzled, realizing that they were taking too long to arrive.
"They're probably still doing that training thing," Mollie sighed.
"It's not like them to skip dinner."
"Yeah, and their soup is getting cold," Friede and Murdock quipped in agreement, getting worried for the trio in question.
At that moment, Sarah arrived, having heard that Roy and his team were late for dinner and being joined by Aloe, Kahalari, the dragonets, and the Tiny Tooth Night Lights as they scampered rhapsodically into the briefing room, happily chirping and squeaking eagerly at their friends.
"Roy's not here for dinner?" the little princess asked, getting headshakes from everyone. "Well, if that's the case, Liko and I can get dinner out to them. I have a feeling he'll still be out in the Wing Deck."
"Yeah!" Liko agreed happily as Sarah took Roy's soup and she and Sarah went to the kitchen.
A few minutes later, with a reheated bowl of soup, a plate of sandwiches, a snack bar, orange juice, and two bowls of Pokémon food at hand, Sarah and Liko along with Sprigatito and the former's tagalongs found the trio plopped on the Wing Deck, all of them exhausted and hungry.
From the way they had been panting, it was clear they had been training throughout the entire evening to the point when their bodies ached and they drilled themselves on their new game plan for their next sparring match against Cap and Serpent.
"Damn, you guys look pretty nasty there. If I had to guess, you ran yourselves into the ground just as I had once," Sarah winced, worried about how much Roy and his Pokémon pushed themselves in their training regime.
"Sorry to interrupt whatever this is but we brought you some sandwiches and cream soup," Liko called to Roy, getting his attention as he perked up from the sight of the food the two girls brought before him and his team.
"Sandwiches and soup?! You two are the best!" Roy cheered ecstatically, immediately taking the plate of sandwiches, the snack bar, and orange juice along with the bowl of reheated cream soup and chowing down on them while Sarah handed Wattrel and Fuecoco their bowls.
"So, what are you doing up on the Wing Deck, anyway?" Liko puzzled.
"I can't tell you that, it's a secret. Secret training, you know," Roy smiled cheekily as Wattrel and Fuecoco joined him for their dinner. "But, hopefully, you'll see it tomorrow once we're ready."
Puzzled by Roy's answer, Sarah and Liko looked at each other before they shrugged and left Roy to his own devices while she and Liko went their separate ways to turn in for the night or finish what they were doing beforehand.
"Secret training? But, why? He didn't need to hide it from us but I look forward to seeing what he's coming up with," Liko thought as she and Sprigatito went back to their bedroom and Sarah returned to the Dragon Craft.
Later, Lazuli was walking down one of the Dragon Craft's corridors, her mind racing over the possibility of the Explorers coming at her and the others with reinforcements despite foiling Spindel's plans prior. She was wondering what Agate, Onyx, and Sango would do if they were eventually deployed in his and Amethio's place.
As she was passing Sarah's bedroom, she heard a series of muffled explosions from inside and she backtracked before cracking open the door to look inside. She gave a small surprised gasp as she saw her training with Mr. Hu and Mistral in a series of Kung Fu techniques including Chi Manipulation and Tai Chi while she held Mittens in her Wood Form. Ever since she and Race first met the two Zodiac in February, the royal couple gradually learned how to manipulate their Chi energy (which acts similarly to Mana).
Making sure to stick to the gentle flowing motions and sometimes explosive bursts of Tai Chi (which was the topic of her lesson with Mr. Hu and Mistral), Sarah carefully swung Mittens while harnessing her Chi (emphasized by a golden aura), combining it with her Elemental Manipulation ability to perform two new abilities called Water Teleportation and Water Multi-Strike.
"Well done, Princess. You've gotten better with your Chi Manipulation since we took you and your man under your wing," Mistral praised once Sarah had finished her round of Chi Manipulation.
Sarah sighed as she grabbed a towel and wiped herself down before getting some water, admitting to her and Mr. Hu, "Truth be told, I only used Elemental and Mana Manipulation with Rahju since last year and becoming an angel as well. Chi Manipulation is still new to me..."
Mr. Hu could only nod as he informed her, "Still, while it is very much the opposite of your Lucario's aura, Mana is very much a magical counterpart to Chi. Both are life forces for living beings but Mana is a life force for magical creatures which is defined by the will for magic to be cast. Chi, on the other hand, is the spiritual energy found in living things; it is a more natural type of life force energy. Now that you're a Nephilim, you are connected to the White Arts and can control Pure Chi in addition to Pure Elements such as your Healing and Purifying Concepts."
"You really think so?" Sarah quizzed them as she drank her water.
"Yes. Unlike our previous students, you and your friends back then picked up on your Chi Training, quicker than most, I might add. You're much more skilled in your magical arts ever since you've combatted their uncle two years ago but it's all connected in a cycle," Mistral confirmed sagely with a knowing nod. "You can now achieve Pure Elemental Manipulation by shifting your own Pure Chi into various elements and you can purify and heal others with that same Chi. All it takes is practice, extreme effort, and total devotion to achieve it all; it'll be second nature for you as long as you follow that regime."
Sarah sighed again as she nodded with a smile and thought over everything she was told just as Mittens returned to her Life Form and meowed happily at her owner as if she was agreeing with Mistral and Mr. Hu's words.
Their moment of contention was broken when Lazuli decided to make herself known, opening the door and coming towards them with a concerned look on her face.
"Kiddo, what's wrong? You should be in bed right now," Mr. Hu said, seeing how worried she looked.
"Can't sleep, been thinking about what happened involving Spindel; I... I'm sorry, kid," she replied before she apologized to Sarah.
The little princess, Mr. Hu, and Mistral were baffled by this as they echoed, "Sorry?"
"...It's all my fault; I put you all in danger because I wanted to kill Spindel and the Explorers for the pain they've put me through. I was desperate to finish what I started in my first battle with Spindel in a long time and I went off like a headless chicken. What made it worse was that I willingly let that creep go when I...We had the chance to kill him. I don't know why I let him go but a part of me wanted to settle things with him in a poetic fashion, all because I still had a score to settle with him and I felt like finishing things on that container ship wasn't ideal... Now, you have a bigger target on you and the Explorers will continue to hound you as a result..."
Sarah couldn't help but feel sorry for Lazuli herself as she insisted, "But, we had no idea how rough you had it with the Explorers until you told my family and I about your past and when you exploded at the ship and in the alleyway where you rescued Liko and Sprigatito later on. I would feel the same way if they killed my family when I was young earlier on and indoctrinated me into their ranks."
"That's the problem; Spindel and Amethio may be toast but there's still the threat of Sango, Agate, and Onyx! You've never met the likes of them and you've no idea how powerful they really are as a team of three! I wouldn't be surprised if Spindel clued them in about me being alive after the last four months of hiding; they're more ruthless, organized, and devious compared to Amethio, his cohorts, and Spindel. They're what their higher-up, Hamber, and the Explorers called, 'The Big Three'. And, believe me, that was before I was brought in and became the swordswoman you see before you. Even after I left, that's not going to change anytime soon..."
Sarah rolled her eyes as she only retorted, "Even if they were powerful before you were brought along, I doubt they'd hold a candle to the brutality my uncle had shown me when my friends and I faced him and Team Eclipse. Believe me, I've seen his work and what they did would pale by comparison; he once killed my real grandparents using the infamous Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra, from the Wizarding World AND he once had a Darkrai with him for the past five centuries."
Lazuli groaned, "Ugh, why are you so damn thickheaded?! You might think they're not a match compared to your uncle but they're still a force to be reckoned with! Sango, Onyx, and Agate have a Glalie, a Granacal, and a Medicham respectively, and if you make Sango and Glalie mad, they'll use Self-Destruct without warning!"
"Yeah, so, what? I've studied those Pokémon while I was at school back home and I could think of several ways to counter such a powerful attack."
Lazuli just stared as she blankly replied, in total disbelief, "...You're kiddin' me."
Sarah sighed at Lazuli in slight disgruntlement at her lack of faith in her as she pulled out the Pokémon book given to her by Lillie and told the Female Battousai, "My friend, Lillie, is an avid student in all things Pokémon during her time in school; she even gave me this book as a gift one time and it had tons of information on Pokémon inside of it including Glalie, Medicham, and Granacal. It was thanks to this book and my studies at my old school, my family, and Uva Academy that I know how to deal with Pokémon that have powerful attacks and such including Self-Destruct. What's more, if the Explorers want to play 'Hard Ball' with me, I'll gladly take on any challenge they throw at me since they don't know who they're messing with."
The swordswoman continued to stare in disbelief as she skeptically asked, "...What do you mean by that?"
Sarah blinked until she eventually facepalmed herself with an exasperated groan of her own; it was clear she needed to indulge Lazuli in what she was talking about.
Minutes later, with Mittens joining her as she walked alongside from her left, Sarah took Lazuli, Mr. Hu, and Mistral to her Dragon Craft laboratory which was shown to be a smaller yet tidy and extensive version of the main laboratory in her Alola home that housed a small chemistry/alchemy work station, a small island that had spellbooks stacked atop it, and a third station housing some of her magical artifacts.
Lazuli gasped in awe at the sight of the laboratory before her and the two Zodiac just as Casper, Race's Palisman (in his Live Form), noticed Mittens and Sarah from his current spot in the lab and barked happily at them. He then rushed over to the pair, exchanging happy nuzzles with Mittens and nuzzled Sarah's left leg before he was joined by the Chibi Dinosaurs, all of them chirping happily at her with energy to spare even though they should've been in bed minutes ago.
"Normally, I don't show my magic to other people but you and everyone else with us are the exception since I told you about my Animus Magic. However, my Animus Magic is not the only kind of magic I have at my disposal in addition to my ranger powers," Sarah told Lazuli as they and their group walked about the lab.
Lazuli looked at all of the things the little princess had around the lab and puzzled, "So... How long have you had all of this stuff hanging about in this space?"
"Some of this was from my recent side quests, either made by my friends or myself as conduits to my magic."
"I can see that. Your craft shows how bright a warrior or witch you are for your age," Mr. Hu replied, nodding in approval to the artifacts on one of the lab tables.
"Incredible! An array of artifacts that provides you with multiple options for attack and defense, most resourceful and wise," Mistral complimented, impressed.
"And, it gets better; I even went through the trouble of designing some of my Trick Arrows and Trick Darts, some of which I've used on that maniac of an uncle. They were made possible by the properties of Deathgripper Venom and the venom of other dragon species, and through my research, I was able to create such weapons and engineer the Trick Darts to either knock someone out cold or kill them if necessary."
She then led the trio, Mittens, Casper, and her Chibi Dinos to her alchemy/chemistry station, showing Lazuli, Mistral, and Mr. Hu the Syringe Arrows and Syringe Darts (made with RainWing, Deathgripper, Dragonbite Viper, and HiveWing Venom) created during her, Race, and the Viking Teens' time at the School of Dragons and her Ranger Academy over the past several months.
Of course, with her extensive research on Pyrrhia and Pantala Dragons from Reader and the Eight Queens, she was able to create her own version of RainWing Sleeping Darts (normally used by RainWings for defense and the properties that made them effective in combat).
In addition, with help from Queen Thorn, she discovered that SandWing Venom can kill a fully-grown dragon depending on how close the initial wound is to one's heart, all on account of Aloe and Kalahari who had potent venom on them despite it not being as strong. RainWing Venom, a specialty of Macaw and Acrosis (despite also being weaker), can be made deadly should it reach the bloodstream of a dragon or its eyes and HiveWing Venom produces Nerve Poison (a tonic that paralyzes the owner's opponent). With the research she gained, the little princess put it into practice as follows:
- After combining the chemicals present in SandWing Venom and Dragonbite Vipers (powerful and deadly snakes that could kill a dragon with a single bite), she created Black and Brown Dragonbite Darts (used to kill opponents with one single shot to the heart)
- With the assistance of HiveWing scientists and chemists, their species' venom was engineered into a liquid that retained its paralyzing power so they'd paralyze a human, Pokémon, or creature with one sting, creating a cluster of darts that are called Hive Darts
- Rain Arrows are the result of Sarah's collaboration with RainWing chemists and scientists and their engineering of Deathgripper Venom to create a powerful gas-like form held within some newly repurposed rainbow-colored Pepper Spray Arrows, enabling the user to swiftly kill or knock his/her targets out cold at even the tiniest whiff or breath
Mr. Hu, Mistral, and Lazuli were speechless as Sarah carefully cupped the darts and packed them into a small pouch she placed onto her station's desk safely and told them, "With these new darts I created, we can paralyze anybody the Explorers send out to make a quick getaway or kill them should the chance arrives. Of course, it all depends on the power of the venoms I used to engineer them and which ones are to be used depending on the situation."
"Fantastic!" Mistral gasped.
"Way to spark your creativity," Mr. Hu added, amazed.
"Wow... But, I thought killing wasn't in your nature," Lazuli replied, not expecting such a side from the little princess given what she had been working on.
"I'm not a fan of killing like the majority of humanity today and that hasn't changed, but if anybody tries to attack my family and get them involved, that's where I draw the line. The same goes when it comes to protecting others; I can't overlook that since there are still many people who want to push any innocents to the edge for one reason or another. I know that very well; that's how I dealt with my uncle and his syndicate when they tried to have me and my friends killed. It shouldn't be any different with you, Lazuli; sometimes, you have to draw the line with the Explorers to protect the ones you love, and killing them to avenge your family and save your friends (old and new) shouldn't be a problem."
Sarah sighed before she turned to the swordswoman and continued, "That's something I had to be ready for ever since I became a Power Ranger; whenever you have a target on your back, you're in a fight for your life. Traditionally, you're not considered a Power Ranger or a hero unless you come back alive from a mission. When you have to face the likes of villains such as Evox, Sledge and his cohorts, Void Queen and Void King back then, and even Lord Zedd from what I heard from some friends of mine living at a place called Pine Ridge, there's a great deal of unpredictability to go through, so many uncertainties and unknowns regarding what they're planning, it's a miracle my family, friends, and I all came back alive."
Lazuli was silent as Sarah finished and she listened in, "While watching your friends' backs, you have to be reactive, quick, hit the ground running as you fight for your life while anticipating the worst... That said, that doesn't make us mindless machines given we still have hearts and human emotions. Whatever you felt that night, I can imagine it being natural given what you've suffered."
With that, all Lazuli could do was nod in silent agreement, the former Explorer being left with a lot to think about.
While she continued to think over what Sarah had told her and as Roy, Fuecoco, and Wattrel continued their training on the Wing Deck after finishing their dinner, Ludlow (who was still wide awake and fishing from the stern and somehow knowing of her and the young adventurer's plights) once again sagely remarked, "The stars move as the world turns. They may appear unchanging but they do not stay in one place; it's the same for both humans and Pokémon."
July 10th; it was early morning the following day and a bright and satisfied Roy was wide awake as he approached the bridge, finding Cap and Friede inside with a renewed determination and vigor in him. His team felt the same way as Fuecoco and Wattrel shared his sentiments and were ready for their rematch with the Brave Olivine captain and Serpent, determined to finally show what they've been working on and get their approval.
"Good morning, Cap! We like to spar with you and Serpent again, please!" Roy requested with a smirk.
"Let's battle!" Fuecoco and Wattrel agreed eagerly, both of them ready to fight as they were seemingly on the same page now.
"Really?" Cap puzzled them, looking a little surprised over the request.
Minutes later, however, the arrangements were made; after contacting Sarah and asking if she could have them spar with Serpent again as well, Roy, Fuecoco, and Wattrel found themselves back on the Wing Deck facing Cap and the female Miraidon once more with the princess' pride, the entire Brave Olivine crew (including Dot and Quaxly as they were out of sight), her, Race, and Asha's classmates, and her human family along with the Tomoe Squad and Blitz watched from the sidelines.
However, there was one addition to Roy and his team's second sparring match the young adventurer requested and that was for Nemona to join them, wanting Wattrel to battle against his evolved form.
Eager for another battle, Nemona agreed and she and Pawmo joined Sarah, Friede, and Charizard on their side of the Wing Deck, allowing her Killowattrel to join Cap and Serpent so she could test the results of their special training session from last night.
"Okay, you three, what do you have up your sleeves for us today?" Friede quipped with a smirk as Cap, Killowattrel, and Serpent stood together as a team of three.
"Let's go, Fuecoco, Wattrel!" Roy smirked, his partners nodding in agreement as they turned to their sparring opponents and Fuecoco got onto Roy's head while Wattrel took his place on the Fire Croc's head.
This gave them awkward and surprised looks from the others as Murdock and Orla remarked, "What am I looking at?"
"Is...Roy going to battle with them, too?"
Seeing this, Cap and Killowattrel could only look at them with raised eyebrows but Serpent was unimpressed as she gave a small scoff.
This didn't deter Roy, Fuecoco, and Wattrel as the young boy exclaimed, "Special Triple Tower Attack Surprise!"
"What does that mean?"
"No clue," Mollie and Orla deadpanned, unsure of what Roy and his team had in mind.
Sarah chuckled and shook her head as she quipped, "Sounds like he took a page out of Ash's playbook when he came up with that one."
Sensing that there was a surprise Roy, Wattrel, and Fuecoco had in store for them, Killowattrel and Cap eventually got into a battle stance, eagerly telling them, "Come on!"
"Let's see!"
Serpent, however, didn't share her owner's amusement as well as Cap and Killowattrel's eagerness for a surprise move as she gave a small purr of annoyance but Roy was still undeterred by her low opinion of him and his team's new strategy as he took a step back, leaned back, and threw Wattrel and Fuecoco into the air while shouting, "And...GO! Use Ember a bunch!"
With that, Fuecoco fired Ember to propel himself and Wattrel to a greater height, setting the stage for Roy's surprise as he then said, "Now, fly, Wattrel!"
At that moment, Wattrel took to the skies as he let go of Fuecoco, allowing him to drop back down to the Wing Deck to continue the fight on leveled ground while Killowattrel, Cap, and Serpent wondered what he could do.
"Fuecoco, use Ember a whole bunch of times!"
Roy's partner then proceeded to fire a barrage of Ember attacks, forcing them to jump into the air just as the young adventurer wanted as he gave Wattrel the signal he was waiting for, "Now! Wattrel, use Spark!"
Letting out a battle cry as he dive-bombed toward the three Electric Types, Wattrel built up electricity and boosted the power of his Spark attack, hoping to land a hit on either of or all three of them. Everyone on the sidelines watched with interest as they wondered whether or not the Storm Petrel Pokémon would cut it with his new and improved Spark attack, using the wind and his greater height to his advantage.
However, Cap, Serpent, and Killowattrel shared knowing looks with each other and, while turning back to face Wattrel, the Frigate Pokémon joined forces with the Brave Olivine's captain as they clashed with Thunderpunch and the former's own Spark attack. They soon clashed and all three were forced back from the excessive power of their combined attacks as Wattrel's Spark was surprisingly powerful enough to cancel both of his opponents' chosen moves, consequently forcing Cap's hat off as well.
"Now, Fuecoco, use Tackle!" Roy called, allowing his partner to jump up and try to hit Cap with a Tackle attack.
But, just as he was about to come into contact with Cap, Fuecoco was in for a surprise; Sarah looked at Serpent and nodded as she snapped her fingers at her, getting a knowing smirk from her female Miraidon and it glowed, transforming before everyone's eyes into her and Miraidon's Battle Form, roaring at her full strength. Everyone watching was shocked by this, and while Fuecoco was stunned, nothing shocked him more than seeing Cap smirk at him and hover over him by using his tail.
"Wha-?! NO, NO! NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO!" Fuecoco screamed in panic as he realized what had happened, his stunned shock shared with Roy and Liko as even they were baffled by what Cap did despite being equally shocked at seeing Serpent in her Battle Form.
Serpent, Killowattrel, and Cap smirked together at their handiwork as they landed back on the Wing Deck and the female Miraidon held her Battle Form for a brief moment before she changed back to her dormant and docile form after Fuecoco and Wattrel fell before them (having swirls over their eyes as they groaned in pain), both of them having collapsed as Tackle failed (with Fuecoco crash-landing as a result) and Cap's Thunderpunch and Killowattrel's Spark attack proved too much for Wattrel to handle.
"…We, surrender," Fuecoco and Wattrel moaned meekly, leaving Roy dismayed at the results shown.
"Wattrel, Fuecoco? Aww, man, that was a bust..." he moaned, disappointed that his plan didn't work out.
Friede, Sarah, and Nemona smiled as the unconventional professor retrieved Cap's hat and the trio joined Serpent, Killowattrel, and the Brave Olivine captain while Roy tended to his Pokémon and he and the Champion-Rank Trainer told them all, "Great job, everyone!"
"Way to stick it up to the max, amigos!"
"Piece of cake."
"Eh, it was nothing; just a walk in the park."
"Way too easy," Cap, Killowattrel, and Serpent smirked back.
"Nice work, Serpent, Cap, Killowattrel. The same goes for you, Wattrel, and Fuecoco, too, Roy! You almost had us," Sarah added, smiling proudly at Roy for his, Wattrel, and Fuecoco's improved display of teamwork despite their second sparring loss.
Even Sarah's lion Pokémon pride, her human family, her, Asha, and Race's classmates, and the Brave Olivine crew couldn't help but cheer for the young adventurer and his team with Murdock and Orla praising them greatly, "Hey, Roy! That was some creative thinking!"
"Yeah, that battle plan wasn't bad, at all!"
Liko grinned as she thought to herself, "It was kind of amazing, really..."
Then, she called out to her energetic friend, "Roy, you did great!"
Dot, in particular, smiled softly for Roy and his team, and having been inspired by them, she went back to her room to begin making a new Nidothing video based on their battle plan with Quaxly following after her to give her a hand.
A little later, Roy and his team were on the observation deck with Fuecoco resting on his head and Wattrel resting on his own, all of them thinking about how their second sparring match against Cap and Serpent with the addition of Nemona's Killowattrel went.
"We were so close..."
"This sucks..."
"Big time..." they lamented with disappointed sighs.
However, Roy smiled as he told his Pokémon, "Well, we're just gonna have to keep training some more and try again, okay?"
"Yeah/Sure," Fuecoco and Wattrel agreed as they got off his head, and along with Roy, sang happily together.
This time, Wattrel was no longer annoyed by Roy and Fuecoco's singing; rather, he felt the urge to join in and enjoy himself when he heard them. Roy and Fuecoco were surprised by this but they grinned at the little Storm Petrel Pokémon and continued as they realized they had a newfound respect for each other with the former two having managed to play to Wattrel's strengths and the latter now fitting in and fully comfortable with his new family.
None of them realized, of course, that they were being watched by Sarah and Liko (joined by Sprigatito and Blitz) as the young girl thought, "Suddenly, after that sparring match, they're both getting along? When did that happen? Well, I guess it might be fun to make some more friends..."
But, as he and his partners sang, Roy couldn't help but think back to when Cap got the drop on them along with Serpent when he flew over him using only his tail and when the female Miraidon transformed into her Battle Form to stagger Fuecoco for a brief moment.
"Come to think of it, I've never seen Koraidon or Miraidon transform into something like that new form Serpent took when she and Cap surprised us. But, what's even crazier... Cap seemed to be almost...flying...when he dodged Fuecoco's Tackle, didn't he?" he pondered thoughtfully, replaying the end of the second sparring match he had and wondering how Cap could fly despite being a Pikachu and having no wings or Flying Type abilities.
As for the Pikachu in question, he was bolting around the Wing Deck, training himself to become as fast as he could be using Volt Tackle while Friede and Charizard looked on. They too were impressed by how the sparring match went this time on Roy's end, and they had to admit that despite not landing a hit on Cap, he and his team were slowly becoming a formidable force to be reckoned with in their own right.
"It takes a pretty amazing attack like that Spark to knock Cap's hat off. Look at how fired up he is after that sparring match," Friede told his partner.
As Cap took to the air with a proud battle cry, Friede looked on proudly at his second closest friend. It seemed clear that there was more to the Brave Olivine's captain than meets the eye and only Charizard and the unconventional professor were aware of how unique he was compared to other Pokémon, particularly, his own species including Blitz and Curly. And, that something was the fact that, out of all the Pikachu in the world, he was the only one among them who could pull off something that no Pikachu had ever tried before, an achievement not even Ash's Pikachu could match him with - Fly, to fly beyond the sun and the horizon to the skies above...
To Be Continued...