Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.

Alessandra woke up with a soft groan. She rubbed her eyes as she got up from her bed and walked into the bathroom, stepping into the shower after taking her clothes off and letting the hot water strike her body.

"Ye did nothin' wrong, Aless… it was just a horrible case of bad luck…" Gloria's voice echoed in her head.

Last night…

"Okay Glori… you got me… I… I do miss him…" Alessandra sobbed into her chest.

"Just let it out… you've held that in for a long time…"

Several hours into the present…

Alessandra let out a sigh, lightly hitting the wall next to her.

"Why do I lie to myself? Eight damn years of keeping it locked up…"

She turned the shower off and dried herself off, then proceeded to put on a light pink shirt with green trimming with a Jigglypuff singing its heart out while also donning baggy dark gray sweats, complete with blue with white striped sandals.

She then noticed she was too groggily sad that she slept with her make up on. She pulled out a pad and wiped it off. She tossed it into the trash and put her hands on the sink, closing her eyes.

"Umbre?"

Alessandra turned her head, seeing Raffia walking up to her. He had curled up next to her to keep her company through the night.

"Oh hey sweetie… I'll be okay."

Raffia jumped up onto the sink and walked up toward Alessandra, gently nuzzling her neck and face while gently giving her a lick on the cheek. She softly giggled, ruffling his head as she planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Thanks, bud." She smiled. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."

"Bre!"

Alessandra walked out of the door and into the cafeteria, seeing her friends and brother just chatting amongst themselves.

"Hey, there's the girl of the hour." Nemona said.

"Nemona? I thought you already left."

"Nah, Estaba agotada (I was exhausted) after last night's festivities so I decided to chocar aquí." (crash here)

"Ah."

"That and Gloria told me about what happened last night…"

"About…?" Alessandra wondered as Nemona hugged her tightly. "Oh…"

"It's not easy to lose something you hold dear to."

"Right…"

"How ye feelin'?" Gloria asked.

"Oh… kinda… better, I suppose?"

"So, what exactly happened?" Ruby spoke up. "All we heard was that you lost a bestie but Gloria said it'd be better if you said it."

BGM: Luma (Super Mario Galaxy)

Alessandra nodded. "Okay… so… eight years ago, Cian and I got a cute Growlithe for our eighth birthday."

"What kind of Growlithe was it? Kantonian? Hisuian?" Blake asked.

"Hisuian?" Alessandra questioned.

"Oh, uh… forget what I asked then." Blake blushed.

"Ooookay… anyway, we named him Balto… he was the most loyal pet you could ask for. And then… several weeks later, a freak storm rolled in. From what I understand, it formed in Kalos and wreaked havoc there before making its way into Galar. The whole region was at its mercy… Crown Tundra got hit, and even the Isle of Armor got some of it."

"Ah, I remember that storm…" Marnie said. "It did a number on Spikemuth… I couldn't get a wink of sleep by myself for a few weeks so I bunked with Piers until I was brave enough to sleep by myself again."

Bede shuddered. "That storm was… intense, to put it lightly."

"A tree fell on our house and it scared the heck out of all of us… and Balto? He squirmed out of Cian's arms and ran out of the hole in the wall. We couldn't do anything but ride it out while Balto was who knows where. When the storm passed, we couldn't find him in Postwick or Wedgehurst. It's like he just… vanished out of thin air."

Nemona frowned. "Oh goodness… and you've searched everywhere for him?"

"Even when we moved to Wyndon, I… hoped we'd find him but no such luck. I become Galar's top model, managing to surpass Nessa, which I didn't think I'd ever actually do… my bro is more interested in the history of Galar and does a bunch of excavational digs with dad… and well, we moved to Paldea."

Iono, who had decided to be with them, had her arms folded. "So Balto is still out there somewhere."

Anime tears ran down Ruby's cheeks. "Maaaan, I hate lost dog stories…" She moaned as Pit and Yang rubbed her back while Blake and Meryl were comforting a similarly sad Weiss.

"And for eight years… I… I put up a wall in my heart so I wouldn't feel the agonizing pain of my lost best friend. I just… grinned and bore it. Most days I was successful as, again, I look toward the future, but… some days I felt lonely. I would always comfort Cian whenever he kept thinking about him."

She closed her eyes. "And now… the wall that I had built for eight years finally crumbled. Glori caught me when I was vulnerable. I kept lying to myself saying I don't miss him, but in actuality, I do… and… the floodgates released and I just cried into Glori's chest for a long time…"

"So you put up a barrier because you didn't want to deal with a heartbreaking loss?" Nemona asked.

"People deal with grief differently…"

"True enough." Nemona smiled.

"I knew it." Cian said. "I always had a feeling there was more than you were letting on."

End BGM

"Hmm…" Nemona pulled out a map, proceeding to stick it toward a wall. "Okay, so here's the map of the world-"

BGM: Funny Goings-on (Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam)

Huh, nearly identical to our map of the world in my neck of the woods… Kotoko thought.

"So let's see, you guys were in Galar when that storm hit… and it seemed to have originated in Kalos. Now, hypothetically, that freak storm could have blown him away… but I doubt it would it would take him that far, so let me just cross out a few regions here-" She pulled out a washable marker and started crossing things out.

"Definitely not the Seoul region, I seriously doubt he made it to the Berlin region… no way is he somewhere in the polar region of Petersburg. And there's not a chance that he made it to the Amazonian region nor the Great Outback Region. Now… the Athens region… that's a good possibility. Cairo? Nuh-uh."

"What about the Manila region just underneath Sinnoh?" Iono asked.

"Oooooh… nah, probably not." Nemona folded her arms. "In fact, we can probably cross out Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh… oh, let me just cross out Kitakami here."

"What if he got caught into a boat?" Silver suggested.

"Oooooh, that's a possibility." Nemona said as she put her hands on her hips. "Now, perhaps he made his way into Unova or Alola, ooooor…" Nemona circled a region.

"Florida?" Mabel wondered.

"Last I checked, it was called the Palmer Region, plenty of beaches, lots of sunshine-"

-"Lots of hillbillies that make the news at an absurd rate." Marnie added while shaking her head. "The amount of times I've seen "Unovan Man" online is just… I got nothing."

"You heard about the lady who dressed up as a Krookodile just to get her purse back from another Krookodile? Got herself beaten up pretty bad." Bede said.

"...Oh Arceus, of course she would."

Nemona sweatdropped. "Yeah, let's just cross this out…"

"Hey guys?" Claude spoke up and then motioned his head to Alessandra who was just groaning with her head over her arms.

"Aaaaand we're not helping." Nemona sheepishly tore down the map. "If anything, Balto is probably still out there in Galar."

"And if he's not?" Alessandra asked.

"Then… he's… sailing the seas on a Lapras?" Nemona shrugged. "The point is, it's best not to think of any worst case scenario. I bet he's still looking for ya!"

"What does Balto look like? Any accessories?" Iono asked.

"A blue bandana around his neck." Cian said.

"Perfect." Iono nodded.

"Hmm…" Nemona rubbed her chin. "Erika, was it?"

"Yeah?" Iono turned to her.

"Call me loco, but you sound… exactly like Iono."

Iono, Kotoko and her group started to sweat nervously.

"You'd… be surprised how often I'd get that."

Nemona narrowed her eyes. "Hmmmmmm…"

"You're definitely loco."

"Yeah, probably just a coincidence." Nemona shrugged as the ladies silently sighed in relief.

Hmmm… Blake narrowed her eyes before letting out an amused chuckle.

End BGM

At that moment, Cian looked out the window to see the Sqwawkabilly Taxi coming in for a landing. "And there's my ride." He said as he walked out.

"Cian…" Alessandra looked at him. "I… I'm sorry that I've been lying to you for eight years, over how-"

"I've known for a long time, sis." Cian said, giving her a side eye with a soft smile. "Don't beat yourself up."

He hopped into the taxi and then flew off.

"Cheer up!" Nemona put her hand on her shoulder. "If Balto somehow managed to show up in Paldea, then I'm gonna be on the lookout for a blue bandana." She then walked out. "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta… go do some stuff. See you around~!" She took off running.

"Yeah, we should be heading off too." Ruby said as they started to walk out, with the girls giving Alessandra hugs while the guys either patted her on the back or gave a fist bump before they walked out.

"Ye gonnae be okay?" Gloria asked.

"I'll… be fine. I need to do some classes…" Alessandra walked off with her Rotom Phone with her Umbreon accompanying her.

"Mmm… gotta be something we can do to cheer her up." Hop said.

"I'm surprised she's held on for eight years. What made the walls come apart now?" Marnie wondered.

"Somethin' tells me this treasure hunt Aless is on made her heart crack it…" Gloria said.

Nearby, Kotoko pulled Iono outside.

"That was a close one." Kotoko said.

"Sorry, I don't know how to disguise my voice… I'm just glad people never caught on. Unfortunately, Nemona's always a sharp one…"

"So uh… you think we oughta contact both our fanbases and spread the word?" Kotoko suggested.

Iono smirked. "I was just about to ask you the same thing. Just give me some time to think about what I wanna say and I'll let the Iono Zoners know. …By the way, what's your fanbase called again?"

"Fellow Fairy-Folk and Dream Weavers."

Iono blinked. "That's a mouthful."

"Oh, like "Iono Zoners" is any better?"

"At least I don't have nine syllables in mine!"

"I… okay, you got me."

Both giggled playfully.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Zinnia overheard their conversation.

"So Erika is actually Iono, eh?" Zinnia whispered before chuckling. "I'll take that secret to my grave."

"I'll see what I can articulate myself." Kotoko said.

Iono smiled. "Yeah, with the both of us? The search for a lost pup will grow in no time!"

"Hell yeah!"

Both girls high fived each other.

"I'll head back home. See ya later, Kotoko."

"See ya!"

Iono ran off.

"That girl… she's something else." Kotoko chuckled.

"Hey… Pixie Chick." Bede said as Kotoko walked back in.

"Hmm? Oh, what is it, Bede?"

"I… just want to tell you that… I'm sorry for being rude to you back then."

"What the fo-" Gloria overheard. "HOLY SHITE, BEDE ACTUALLY APOLOGIZED FOR SOMETHING?!"

"Oh my, is another Darkest Day imminent?" Hop wondered.

"I definitely need to commemorate this moment in my scrapbook." Marnie said.

"Rrrrgh…" Bede growled with a cross vein on the side of his head. "Why do I still hang out with you idiots?"

Kotoko giggled. "But they're your idiots."

Bede chuckled, trying to hide a fond smile with the trio. "Yes, yes they are."

"So, what's gotten over you, Bede-y?"

"Well… I watched how you fight against Iono and Raihan and… I realized that you're more skilled than I realized. …Didn't help that your cat friend pulled me into a 'come to Arceus' meeting."

Kotoko giggled. "My skills are far better than you think. …I was… just not in the right headspace that day."

"Happens to the best of us…" Bede nodded. "So, if you want, we could do a rematch someday in Ballonlea."

"Well, my birthday's coming up soon… so I wouldn't be too opposed to the idea. I'll think about it." Kotoko said. "Actually, Kokoron's birthday and mine are almost right around the corner... even though there's a two-week gap between us."

"That's quite the coincidence, isn't it?" Bede chuckled. "Very well… now if you'll excuse me…" He walked off.

POW!

SMACK!

POW!

"What am I gonna do with you three buffoons!" Bede said as Gloria, Hop and Marnie had goose eggs on their heads with Gloria laughing, Marnie poking her own head and Hop hiding the pained tears in his eyes.

"Y-ya call that a punch? Gloria can punch harder!" Hop chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm very well aware of that!"

Kotoko giggled. "He's not as bad as he seems once you get to know him…"

Meanwhile, with Cian…

Cian landed on the ground. "I'm gonna have to get Aless something special to cheer her up." He said as he got out of the taxi and walked off.

"HEEEEEEY! CIIIAAAAAAAAAN!"

"Huh?" Cian turned his head and walked back to see JNPR and Co calling out to him from the heart of Mesagosa. "Oh, did they just get back from Kitakami?" He wondered as Nora waved to him as he waved back.

"DO YOU KNOW WHERE LEVINCIA IS AT?"

"Yeah! Levincia is just east from here!" He called out.

"WHAT?"

Cian sighed before pointing toward the west gate.

"THE EAST GATE! OKAY!"

Cian turned around. "I really gotta learn to throw my voice out…" He chuckled and walked toward the academy.

Later, once Alessandra's done with her classes…

"Alright…" Alessandra rolled her shoulders. "I'm ready to go."

"So who's our next gym battle?" Coco asked.

"From what I could gather, it's Kofu." Alessandra said. "He's in Cascarraffa."

"Cascaraffa…" Kotoko pulled up the map. "Okay… so basically, it's on the western side of Paldea… so we could turn around and cut through Mesagosa again… or… we go through Area Three of the Southern Province, cut through Zapapico, make our way through the southern part of Glaseado Mountain, cut through Medali and then arrive at Cascaraffa where Aless challenges Kofu."

"Of course, we would have to make a U-Turn to Medali because that's where the fifth gym leader is at." Alessandra said.

"Really? Medali has a gym? Huh… it looks so ordinary, I didn't think much of it." Kotoko said.

"Looks can be deceiving." Bede said. "Though I wonder who the gym leader is in that city…"

"Perhaps a street performer!" Mabel guessed.

"A construction worker?" Gloria guessed.

"Ah, perhaps an herbalist! …Wait, no, we already did the Grass type gym." Hop said.

"A dog walker, perhaps?" Velvet suggested.

"Perhaps a scientist!" Sonia chimed in.

"A tired as hell businessman who hardly gets any sleep?" Marnie asked as they all looked at her weirdly. "What? Just spitballin' here."

["Perhaps it's a person who sells ice cream?"] Neo guessed.

"Uh… a… dragon… whisperer… man, I'm trying not to show my Dragon bias here…" Zinnia frowned.

"A fellow Pokemon breeder? Eh… maybe not." Victor shrugged.

"Whoever it is, we'll just have to pay that gym leader a visit once we're done with Kofu. Let's rock and roll." Alessandra said.

The group walked out of the hotel.

"Ah, there you are." A voice said as they turned to see Geeta approaching them. "I was looking all over for you."

Alessandra's eyes widened. "Y-you're… the La Primera herself! I saw you at the Fashion War!"

"Indeed. It was wonderful that you showed your creativity to the headmaster, and even he got to express himself in a fun and creative way." Geeta smiled. "That being said, have you ever done a Pokemon journey before?"

"No, hasn't really caught my attention in Galar… but here? I thought "Why not"?"

Geeta smiled. "Pokemon Battling does make even the less enthusiastic folk curious about owning a Pokemon. I have faith that you will do well in your upcoming fights… oh, and do continue to be the fashionista that you are. I absolutely adore seeing your outfits when fighting each Gym Leader~"

Alessandra smiled. "You can count on me!" She said as she headed off toward the third area of the eastern province.

"Hmm… Champion Gloria. A word, if you will." Geeta said.

"Hmm?" Gloria turned as the other Galarians (minus Alessandra) and Neo turned to her.

"I had overheard that Challenger Alessandra challenged you to a fight after she beat the Elite Four."

"Ye heard correctly, lass."

Geeta smiled. "I've watched your Pokemon battle against former Champion Leon in the tournament. Your Pokemon are extraordinary."

"Thank ye."

Geeta chuckled, pulling out an Ultra Ball. "Perhaps you ought to turn the tide on your childhood friend." She said, tossing it to her. "I feel like you ought to push her to the limit."

"What makes ye say that?"

"Open it."

Gloria shrugged, tossing the Ultra Ball into the air.

"Aaaaaape!"

"A Primeape?" Gloria raised an eyebrow.

"Recently, this Primeape has learned the move Rage Fist. Perhaps you ought to use it as often as you should. You might be surprised~"

"Um… okay…" Gloria pulled out an Oran Berry and handed it to the Primeape. "Here, perhaps ye oughtae-"

"Don't worry, he's already a friendly Primeape. I've tamed him."

Primeape approached Gloria and gave her a friendly fist bump to the shoulder. Gloria chuckled as she did the same to him, both of them smiling.

"I feel like you two will get along rather well~" Geeta said as she gave a humble bow. "Hasta luego." She walked off.

"Rage Fist…? I… I have a bad feeling about that move and I don't know why." Sonia said.

"Ah, we can calm him down." Gloria said, giving the Primeape a noogie before putting him away. "Let's go."

Back with the others…

"Huh, look, a tumbleweed…" Kokoro said as they saw a "Tumbleweed" go by before it stopped to look at them.

"Wait, I don't think that's an ordinary tumbleweed." Coco said as Alessandra instinctively scanned it.

"Bramblin, the Tumbleweed Pokemon. A soul unable to move on to the afterlife was blown around by the wind until it got tangled up with dried grass and became a Pokémon. Not even Bramblin knows where it is headed as it tumbles across the wilderness, blown by the wind. It loathes getting wet."

"Brambli~!" The Bramblin cried all friendly-like before rolling away.

"Well, what do ya know. It's a cutie!" Alessandra said as she called out Flittle. "Let's train you up a bit, Tut."

"Flit~!"

The two Pokemon soon engaged in battle as the Galarians and Neo caught up to them.

"Is that a… tumbleweed?" Marnie asked.

"It's a Pokemon as a tumbleweed." Coco responded as Tut used Psybeam to knock down the Bramblin, and then Alessandra pulled out a Heal Ball and threw it at the Bramblin, where it clicked after three shakes.

"Aaand that's a reserve~" Alessandra giggled, picking up the Heal Ball and putting it away. "Hmm… actually…" She walked over and saw some wild Pokemon wandering around, where she called out her Hoppip, Smoliv and the Bramblin. "Let's train you guys up, just in case if I need an extra hand!"

"Hop!/Smol!/Bramb!"

The three of them took off with Alessandra, the latter calling out her other Pokemon to help train them.

Meanwhile…

"Okay… it says that the Titan is big and very long…" Arven said as he looked through his book. "Now where would-"

"Orth! Orth!"

Arven looked up to see an Orthworm coming to him frantically.

"Oh, hey little guy." He smiled.

"Orth! Worm Worm Orth Orth!"

Arven patted the Orthworm on the head. "Friendly, aren't you?" He walked off. "See ya around, I'm gonna go find a big and long Steel titan."

"Orth… Orth Orth…" The Orthworm frowned and then noticed Umber was having a picnic in a quarry with Dedede. "Orth!"

Orthworm quickly dug underground and moved toward the two.

"Orth Orth Orth!"

"Oh, you're a cool Pokemon." Umber said, handing him a sandwich. "Sandwich?"

Orthworm shook his head with a frown. "Worm Worm!"

"Not hungry?"

"Orth Orth!"

"Sorry bud, I don't speak "Orthworm-ese"." Dedede said.

Orthworm sulked. "Orth Orth…"

Back with Alessandra and crew…

"Wow, that didn't take much." Alessandra said, seeing that her Hoppip and Smoliv had already evolved into Skiploom and Doliv just by knocking out a few Dugtrio.

Not only that, but the Bramblin had also evolved.

"Brambleghast, the Tumbleweed Pokemon and the evolved form of Bramblin. It will open the branches of its head to envelop its prey. Once it absorbs all the life energy it needs, it expels the prey and discards it. Brambleghast wanders around arid regions. On rare occasions, mass outbreaks of these Pokémon will bury an entire town."

"I'm sorry, the bloody thing does WHAT?!" Hop yelled.

"Says here it's Grass/Ghost. Fittin'." Gloria said.

"By the way, have you come up with names with these three?" Bede asked.

"It took me a bit but I figured it out." Alessandra pointed toward the Skiploom. "Pluffy-"

"Skiploo!"

Then to Dolliv. "Oliver."

"Doll~" Dolliv bowed.

And then to Brambleghast. "Windy."

"Bramble!"

"Windy? Not something cute like… Brambly?" Mabel asked.

"Oooooh, this is interesting!" Sonia said, looking through a book. "According to this, Brambleghast's ability is called Wind Rider, which boosts Pokemon's power if Tailwind is in effect or they're hit with a wind based move… also wind moves won't hurt this Pokemon."

"Who all has this ability?" Victor asked.

"The Bramblin line… and… Shiftry, apparently."

"I saw the ability in the Dex so I thought "I'll just call him Windy"." Alessandra giggled as they started to walk off.

"Orth! Orrrth!"

The group turned toward an Orthworm approaching them, the same Pokemon that tried to chat with Arven and Umber.

"Oooh, what's this one?" Gloria scanned the Orthworm.

"Orthworm, the Earthworm Pokemon. When attacked, this Pokémon will wield the tendrils on its body like fists and pelt the opponent with a storm of punches. This Pokémon lives in arid deserts. It maintains its metal body by consuming iron from the soil."

"Kinda cute." Marnie said.

"Orth Orth Worm Worm Orth!"

"What's he saying?" Alessandra asked as Gloria knelt down.

"Orth Orth Orth Orth!" Orthworm cried.

"Mhm. Uh-huh… is that right?"

Orthworm nodded. "Orth!"

Gloria stood up. "This wee lad was the former Steel Titan."

"This thing?" Hop knelt down. "This little guy?"

"Aye."

Coco knelt down. "What happened to ya, little guy? Woke up on the wrong pile of dirt and shrunk down?"

"Worm Worm Orth Orth Orth Worm Wor!"

"He was just mindin' his own business one day when he saw a giant star open up in the sky and a massive Pokemon came tumblin' out of it."

"Orth Orth Orth Orth Orthworm!"

"It challenged him to a fight, only for the big lad to knock him out and became the Titan itself, forcing this wee lad to flee."

"A giant star opening in the sky…" Alessandra folded her arms thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, there was something similar that happened in Galar. I think the gravity started to get a little funky too…"

"You too? It was so bizarre…" Sonia said.

"Oh… a giant star opening in the sky…" Velvet grimaced.

"Well, that's a problem." Coco rubbed her head.

Hop grinned. "Don't worry, little guy! We'll knock out this Pokemon for ya!"

"Orth Orth!" Orthworm smiled and hugged Gloria.

"Show us the way, lad."

"Orth!" Orthworm dug into the ground and took off with everyone following him.

Meanwhile, with Cinder's team…

"Anyone else feeling like they're about to get ambushed?" Eddie asked as they walked around the region.

"Not particularly." Cinder said. "Though for some reason, I do feel a bit uneasy going through this quarry."

"Maybe there's a Pokemon that's easily territorial." Ludwig said.

"Perhaps, but I don't think we're gonna have too much trouble." Bowsette said.

STOMP!

"...Ooor maybe we will."

They all turned to see what was the giant stomp that crashed into the ground… and was met with a particularly giant Pokemon.

"AAAAGGROOOOOOOOONNNNN!"

BGM: Battle! Wild Pokemon (Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire)

Territorial Steel Titan - Aggron

"Huh?" Arven turned his head as he was nearby. "What the…?! I didn't know there were Aggron in this region! …Let alone this one being the Steel Titan!" He exclaimed as he looked through his book. "It said big and long and… well, it's half right!"

Cinder spotted Arven, and unfortunately, the Aggron spotted him too. Her eyes widened as the Aggron charged up a Hyper Beam. "GET DOWN!" She yelled as she tackled him to the ground right as Hyper Beam was shot, carving a hole into the ground that made several Cufant, Lokix, Sableye, Gumshoos and Varoom to run away.

"Whoa!"

"Now's not the time for some light reading!" Cinder said as she called out Acnologia as her Charizard breathed fire into the air.

Acnologia turned toward Aggron as the Aggron smirked, egging the Charizard to fight him as steam came out of Acnologia's nostrils.

"Let's go, Acnologia!"

With a nod, Acnologia snarled as he flew up into the air and unleashed Flamethrower on the Aggron. The Aggron held his fist up, it catching ablaze as he took most of the blow before unleashed Fire Punch on the Charizard, but he flew out of the way in time and used Flare Blitz in retaliation.

"Aggro!" Aggron grunted before unleashing Rock Tomb on Acnologia, forcing him to get out of the way but some rocks splashed up and struck Aconlogia's wings.

"Rawr…!" Charizard grunted.

"I don't know how much this lil' guy can do against this big guy, but…" Arven called out Toedscool.

"Toed!"

"Grass Knot!"

"Toeeedscooool!" Toedscool unleashed Grass Knot on Aggron.

Aggron looked down, seeing the Grass Knot going around his foot. He raised an eyebrow and moved his foot to snap it clean in half before turning his attention back toward Acnologia, who used Flamethrower again.

Electricity cracked through Aggron's fist as he unleashed Thunder Punch into the Charizard right as he used Flare Blitz, knocking Acnologia back.

Charizard let out a growl, shaking off the Thunder Punch despite being weak toward it as he unleashed Inferno, wrapping the Aggron in flames as the Aggron jumped out with a massive Thunder Punch but Toedscool used a bigger Grass Knot, tripping the giant Steel type and crashed into the ground as Acnologia flew up and unleashed Flamethrower where Aggron opened his mouth and unleashed Hyper Beam, both moves connecting right as Alessandra's group ran up.

"Holy shite, that's the biggest Aggron I've seen!" Gloria exclaimed.

"The Titan Pokemon is a frickin' Aggron?!" Coco asked in shock.

"Took you guys long enough!" Cinder said.

"I'll handle this!" Alessandra called out Rio.

"Quax!"

"Careful! This thing's loaded with a Thunder Punch! It'll do a number on your Quaxwell!" Arven warned. "...By the way, I'm guessing you wanted to help this Orthworm?"

"That's because it's the original Steel Titan and Aggron fell from the sky from a giant Star Rift!" Gloria said.

"...Honestly, if Paldea didn't get hit by that weird blue substance and that giant Star Rift appearing in the sky, I wouldn't be believing you! That said, it makes so much more sense now!"

"We'll take those chances with the Thunder Punch! Aqua Cutter!"

Rio ran toward the Aggron, immediately striking him with the Aqua Cutter.

"Aggro…!" Aggron grunted as he was hit with the Flamethrower. "AGGROOOOOONNNN!" Aggron cried as he got up and punched a massive hole in a rock wall and ran off.

End BGM

"Orth Orth Worm Worm!"

"After it!" Gloria exclaimed as they ran after the Steel Titan.

Back with Umber and Dedede…

"...Do you feel that?" Umber asked.

"I do!" Dedede nodded as they stood up, the latter taking out his hammer while Umber summoned his Keyblade for whatever was about to happen… and then Aggron came barreling through.

"Whoa!" Umber yelled as they rolled out of the way to avoid being flattened by the massive Titan as everyone else approached the Titan Pokemon.

"Big friends of yours?" Dedede asked.

"That's one way of lookin' at it!" Marnie said.

Suddenly, Sonia heard a lot of beeping coming from her pocket. "Huh?" She wondered as she pulled out a device. "What on…?"

Aggron punched the wall behind him, finding some Herba Mystica as he picked up and chomped down on it.

"He's gonnae get a bit beefier!" Gloria said.

"Guys!" Sonia called out. "Aggron wasn't the only thing that was pulled from the Star Rift!"

"What do you mean?" Alessandra asked.

"According to my Power Spot Detector.. This quarry… this very spot… the Star Rift managed to pull in some Dynamax power and placed it all over this arena!"

"Wait, are you suggestin'...?!" Gloria's eyes widened.

"Yes! This is a makeshift Dynamax Den!"

BGM: Dynamax Legendary Battle (Pokemon Sword/Shield)

"AAAAGGROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNN!" Aggron cried, Dynamaxing in front of their eyes.

Gigantic Kaiju - Dynamaxed Aggron

"Orth… ORTH ORTH ORTH!" Orthworm cried angrily as he started to Dynamax as well. "ORTHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOORM!"

"Well, uh…" Umber pulled out a Heartbinder. "I'm not sure how well he'll do, but it's worth a shot!" He said, summoning Jack Skellington while calling out Topper.

"Oh my!" Jack said before smiling. "Let's do this, friends!"

"Hey Aless!" Gloria called out to her as she tossed her her Dynamax Band. "Use this!"

Alessandra strapped it on. "I'm more into Terastallizing, but I'm not one to let this opportunity slip by!" She said, aiming her Pokeball at Quaxwell and pulled him in, then her Pokeball turned giant and pink as she turned around and threw it in the air, where Rio Dynamaxed as everyone else cleared the area.

"QUAAAAAAAAAX!" Rio cried.

"I feel… underdressed." Arven grimaced.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Cinder as her Charizard snorted steam.

"So this is what it feels like to Dynamax your Pokemon… I should've done that Gym Challenge a long time ago!" Alessandra said with her eyes sparkling. "Alright, Rio! MAX GEYSER!"

"Quax… WEEEELLL!" Rio unleashed Max Geyser onto Aggron, who unleashed Max Lightning in retaliation, both Pokemon getting hit.

"Aggro…!"

"QUAAAAAX!"

"Rrrgh… hang in there, bud!"

Topper unleashed Hydro Pump while Acnologia used Flamethrower as Jack came in with an Icy Terror… while as for Orthworm, he unleashed Max Steelspike as Aggron used Max Flare to counter the Steelspike.

"Toeds Coo Cool…"

"What do you mean you can't use Grass Knot on that thing?!" Arven asked in surprise. "Okay… uh… Hex him then!"

Rio let out a growl and unleashed Max Geyser again, striking the Aggron as it let out a snarl and unleashed Max Lightning again.

"WEEEEEELLLLLL!" Rio cried as he could barely stand.

"He can't take another hit like that… come on… we gotta knock this big guy down!" Alessandra said, when suddenly the rocks underneath her turned grassy and wrapped underneath Rio, which was enough to start healing him. "Huh…? Where'd this Grass Terrain come from?"

"Orth… WOOOOOORM!" Orthworm unleashed Max Strike on Aggron, making him stumble a bit as Jack struck him with a Blazing Fury, Aconlogia hitting him with an Inferno and Topper hitting him with a Wave Crash.

Aggron let out a roar and unleashed Max Lightning on Topper, and despite him trying to dodge out of the way, Topper still got hit by the massive move. "EMPOOOOO!"

"I was afraid of that…" Umber winced as the Grassy Terrain made its way toward them. "...Huh?"

"Take this!" Jack said, using Ghostly Scream on him.

"AGGRO!" Aggron grunted, glaring at Jack.

"PONA PONNNIIIII!"

"Huh?" Alessandra turned her head to see Ogerpon running in. "Why's that little girl running toward the Aggron?"

"What the…?" Arven wondered. "Hey little girl! Now's not a good time to be playing the hero!"

"Pona Poni Ponya!" Ogerpon said, pulling out the Wellspring Mask… before feeling the massive influence from the Power Spot and proceeded to Dynamax. "PONYAAAAAAA!"

"THAT'S A POKEMON?!" Alessandra yelled in surprise.

"Aggro…?"

"Poni Pona Pon…" Ogerpon looked at herself curiously before shrugging it off. "Ponya!"

At that moment, they saw a Tinkaton run into the battle and she, too, felt the influence and proceeded to Dynamax as well.

"TIIIINKAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"I think I know who this Tinkaton belongs too." Umber said. "As for the other, I have no idea…"

Aggron smirked before quickly unleashing Max Flare on the two as they were pushed back a bit before they shook it off.

"PONYOOOO!" Ogerpon swung her giant Ivy Cudgel down, unleashing a powerful tidal wave on top of him.

"AGGROOOOONNNN!" Aggron cried as he responded with Max Lightning, but Tinkaton caught most of it with her hammer.

"Tinka Ton Ton~!"

Tinkaton's hammer increased in size.

"TINKA!" Tinkaton swung her hammer down, slamming it on top of Aggron's head.

"AGGROOOOOO!"

Aggron fell on one knee, letting out a small growl as he was hit by the smaller Pokemon and was hit by a Max Geyser from Rio, with Orthworm finishing it off with a Max Strike.

"AGGROOONNNN!" Aggron cried as he exploded and shrunk back down to normal size while the other Dynamax'd Pokemon shrunk back down to size.

End BGM

"I got dibs on the Aggron!" Roy said, firing magic as the Aggron was caught in an Ultra Ball.

"MORTON WANT WORM." Morton said, throwing magic of his own as the Orthworm was caught in a Heavy Ball, both Pokeballs clicking at the same time.

"So that's what it was like to Dynamax…" Alessandra said, using a Super Potion on Rio before turning toward the Ogerpon.

"Pona Pon Pon~!" Ogerpon smiled.

"What are you?" Alessandra wondered, scanning Ogerpon.

"Ogerpon, the Mask Pokemon. This Pokémon's type changes based on which mask it's wearing. It confounds its enemies with nimble movements and kicks. This mischief-loving Pokémon is full of curiosity. It battles by drawing out the type-based energy contained within its masks."

"Huh… female only? Well, you're certainly a cute one."

Ogerpon blushed. "Poni Pon Pon~!"

"That was eventful… but I wonder where they came from." Arven wondered as the others approached, Alessandra tossing Gloria her Dynamax band back.

"Is everyone okay? I'm glad we got here in the nick of time." A voice said as they turned to see Ren approaching with the others accompanying him.

"Oh, you guys came back from Kitakami?" Bede asked.

"We sure did!" Nora smiled. "Oh, by the way, meet our two new friends! Perrin and Carmine!"

"Heya!" Perrin waved.

"Hi…" Carmine waved.

"Wait a sec, aren't ye missin' a lass?" Gloria wondered.

"Hiyoko ran off… which I'm presuming she's doing her own Pokemon journey." Mahiru explained.

"How curious." Another voice said as Mewtwo landed on the ground, which was enough to surprise Arven and Alessandra. "I was not aware of another region housing Dynamax energy."

"H-H-Holy… th-that's… that's a Mewtwo!" Arven said in shock as Alessandra scanned Mewtwo out of instinct.

"Mewtwo, the Genetic Pokemon. Created from the DNA of Mew, this Pokémon is a dangerous combination of overwhelming power and a savage heart. The research efforts of a certain scientist ultimately resulted in this Pokémon. Its powers are dedicated to battling."

Alessandra put her Pokedex away, unable to find her words. "Uuuh…"

"What are you doin' here?" Umber asked casually.

"I'm here because something has piqued my curiosity. I just happened to get sidetracked by this Power Spot."

"Apparently that Star Rift managed to bring some Dynamax energy here." Sonia explained.

"So Fecto Elfilis' influence even had Dynamax pour into Paldea. Intriguing… I wonder if it holds true for the other regions…"

"Okay, h-hold on! T-Time out! How are you guys so casual about Mewtwo?!" Alessandra asked.

"Well, once you get to know him, he's not so bad." Umber said. "Though, he does tend to be snarky."

Alessandra sweatdropped. "I see…"

"Um… Mr. Mewtwo…?" Arven spoke up.

"Just Mewtwo is fine."

"Um… would you… mind if I… fixed up a sandwich for you?"

Mewtwo raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you more interested in saving your Pokemon?"

"How did you-...? Oh, you read minds." Arven sweatdropped. "Well, it's a really good sandwich. Mix it up with curry and it's a sensational delight!"

"Hmm… very well. I shall try this Curry Sandwich."

The group walked into the cave, with Marnie looking at Perrin. Her eyes widening and elbowing Gloria. "Hey."

"Wot is it?"

"Does that Perrin girl look familiar to you?"

"Hmm…" Gloria looked at her hair. "Her hair reminds me of…" Her eyes widened. "Holy shite, no way…"

"Mhm."

"Aha!" Arven said as he went over, finding some Herba Mystica. "Here we are, the Herba Mystica!"

"The Herba Mystica?" Mewtwo asked curiously.

"It's this herb that can make certain Pokemon turn into Titans!" Arven explained, showing him the pages.

"Hmm… that would explain the giant Aggron before it Dynamaxed." He said as he returned the book.

Arven looked into the book, flipping a few pages. "Let's see here… ah, here we go. Salty Herba Mystica!"

BGM: Let's Make a Sandwich (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

"Ah, it says here that Salty Herba Mystica helps with aching hands and feet. Good for neuropathy and numbness. When you've got muscle weakness, it supposedly builds up strength again! This'll definitely help Mabosstiff feel even better. Gloria, you know what to do!"

"Aw yeah!" Gloria nodded as she pulled out the cauldron and proceeded to go right to work.

"What the…?" Carmine wondered as she pulled out a tape measure and proceeded to measure the cauldron and then Gloria's bag.

"What, never had one of these before?" Gloria asked.

"No. I'm just trying to figure out how you managed to get that in there."

Gloria smiled. "Hard work and determination~"

Carmine sweatdropped. "That… doesn't exactly answer my question but whatever."

"Sooo, what's the story with your two new friends?" Hop asked.

"Ah, well, you see-"

"Hmmm…" Alessandra curiously scanned Jack Skellington as he was having a conversation with Dedede and Umber.

"No such Pokemon found"

"Eh, worth a shot." Alessandra shrugged.

Several stories and several sandwiches made later…

"My goodness, that's… that's rough." Marnie said.

"Not as rough as yours." Carmine said, looking at her metal arm. "Still… I'm… not sure how to go about with Kiki after this."

"Oh, I'm sure Kieran will be fine. He just needs some space." Coco said. "Though, maybe you could've told him when he wasn't feeling so down in the dumps."

"Uuuugh, I didn't know when it would've been a good time…" Carmine said, putting her hands over her head. "Stupid…" She mumbled as Bowsette and Rei rubbed her back.

"Well, maybe this'll cheer ye up." Gloria said, giving Carmine a sandwich.

"Oh… thanks Scotty." Carmine said as she took a bite. "...Oh… Oh! Mmmm, salty yet sweet at the same time."

"So, what do ya think?" Arven asked Mewtwo.

"It's decent." Mewtwo responded.

"Hey, that's good enough for me!" Arven smiled.

"Hey… do I see a smile over there, Pyrrha?" Velvet asked.

"Hmm?" Pyrrha asked. "Aren't you an observant one~" She smiled.

Coco pulled down her glasses. "Holy crap… Kitakami did wonders for you!"

Dedede smiled. "She found her Kirby." He said as he saw Ogerpon munching on a sandwich in fascination. "Heh, definitely a cutie."

At that moment, Miraidon came out of Alessandra's ball. "Agia?" He wondered, sniffing the sandwich in Alessandra's hand, which was also enough to get Mewtwo's attention.

"...Speaking of the beasts, where's that bro of yours?" Arven asked.

"He's still at the academy. I think he got sidetracked with a history lesson or something."

"Ah, he always did seem like the historian." Arven said as Mewtwo approached Miraidon.

"This Pokemon… what is it?"

"If I had to guess, it's a cybernetic Cyclizar." Arven responded. "Aless's bro has a prehistoric Cyclizar."

"And what does a Cyclizar look like?" Mewtwo asked as Arven handed him a drawing of what it looks like. "Hmm…" He narrowed his eyes and looked toward Miraidon as he munched on his sandwich.

"What ya thinkin' about, big guy?" Zinnia asked.

"Has this Cyclizar given you any trouble?" Mewtwo asked.

"Aside from being nosy with sandwiches, not really." Alessandra said. "He's a softie, though his name's Miraidon."

"Miraidon… I see."

"Agia!" Miraidon yelped, feeling power once more.

"You got a plastic bag? I want to save some for Cian and his Koraidon."

"Oh yeah." Arven pulled one out and put a sandwich in the bag, then handed it to Alessandra. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Alessandra put the sandwich in her bag.

"Now…" Arven called out Mabosstiff and handed him a sandwich. "Here you go, big guy… small bites now."

"The poor thing looks injured… why not send him to a Pokecenter?" Jaune asked.

"Because where he got injured… nothing could heal him up. The Herba Mystica was my last chance… and it seems to be working well."

"Where did he get injured?" Mewtwo inquired.

"Area Zero."

"Area Zero…" Mewtwo folded his arms. "I see."

End BGM

"Ruf…"

"Oh, you still hungry, Maboss-... wait, did you say "Ruff"?!" Arven yelled in surprise as he teared up. "He wasn't able to speak for a long time…! He… he's getting healed up…!"

"Ponya Pon…" Ogerpon approached Mabosstiff, gently pulling out her Ivy Cudgel and lightly tapping him on the head, a healing aura surrounding him. Of course, it did nothing but Mabosstiff looked toward Ogerpon.

"Ruff…"

"Poni Pon~!" Ogerpon smiled.

"Man, to think ye've been through it…" Gloria said, gently kneeling down and scratching Ogerpon on the head.

"Pona Ponya~"

"Oh, this is so adorable…" Arven sniffled. "Who's my bestest bud, Mabostiff? You are…!" He sobbed.

Perrin smiled, taking a picture of the Mabosstiff together with Mahiru. "There we go…" Perrin smiled.

Meanwhile, with Cian…

"Phew… that went on a bit longer than I thought." Cian said. "Still, it was nice to learn about Ancient Sinnoh. Now to-"

"Ro-to-to-to-to!"

Cian pulled out his phone. "Hello?"

"Cian, it's me."

"Ms. Raifort?"

"There's something I've discovered in the Southern Province. A stake. It could very well be one of the Ruinous Pokemon. Meet me here ASAP. I need to see this Pokemon for myself."

"Copy that." Cian said as he hung up. "...Welp, I have a feeling I need to stop Raifort from doing something stupid." He said as he took off running.

Shout out to Cody for the Dynamax Aggron idea!

Deadpool: Hey, it's a reunion! ...Mostly!

Ibuki: Cian better hurry... there's no telling what Raifort will do with such a Pokemon.

...And speaking of Pokemon, we lost a good one, y'all. Rest in peace, Rachael Lillis.