As the 4th of July rolled in, we find the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft finally making their way to Paldea, the home region of Liko as well as Arven, Penny, and Nemona from Uva Academy. It had been quite a wild ride for everyone involved since Liko, Sarah, and Race's first days together at Indigo Academy but, at long last, they finally arrived at their final destination and the starting point in everyone's search for the Terastal Shiny Rayquaza.

It was also particularly interesting for two particular trainers as one of them would get to see Paldea and its Spanish splendor for the first time and the other would be returning home for a spell.

"HELLO, PALDEA!" Fuecoco cheered excitedly as he and Roy saw the former's fatherland getting closer and closer from the Brave Olivine's observation deck.

"We can see it now!" the young boy cheered, wondering what he'd discover on his first-ever visit to Paldea.

Even Dot was surprised as she got up and finished putting away her bed covers and looked out the window, "Paldea?"

"DAAAAAGH! IT STINKS, UGH! I CAN'T BREATHE!" screamed Quaxly as he ran towards one of the corners of her bedroom, holding his nose as tightly as he could and not daring to breathe.

It turns out he discovered that Dot's Nidothing cosplay had gotten stinky overnight and after breathing it in (thanks to his acute sense of smell), he couldn't find it in himself to breathe and kept himself as far away from her suit as possible until it can be washed.

"What's with you, it's too early for this," Dot muttered in confusion at him.

"Your suit reeks, Partner! It's gotten so bad last night while we slept! It sucks so bad!" cried the Duckling Pokémon with a fearful shudder as he pointed her towards her suit, desperately doing his best not to breathe in its stinky smell through his nose.

"You think this smells so bad, really?" the young recluse puzzled before she smelled her cosplay, groaning as she took in the suit's dirty smell and passed out.

"It hasn't been that long since I was last here, and if I know Sarah and Race given the time they spent here to attend their studies at Uva Academy, they would feel the same way. Yet, for some reason, it feels nostalgic," Liko thought as she and Sprigatito watched Paldea coming into view from the starboard bow, the former knowing that in a short while, she would be home again.

"Not to me, it ain't," Sprigatito chirped happily to her partner.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot! Welcome home, Sprigatito! This is my first time in Paldea with you!"

Her sentiments are well-founded because, on the Dragon Craft, Sarah and Race were up bright and early as they were watching Paldea coming into view from the Dragon Craft's sun deck. They knew that Director Calvell, Nemona, Arven, Penny, Carmen, Kieran, and the students of Blueberry and Uva Academies would be waiting to celebrate with them and to hear of what they had been up to since they parted ways for summer break.

"Well, there it is. Paldea, as beautiful as she was when we first arrived," Race sighed blissfully, seeing Nemona, Liko, Arven, and Penny's home region before them.

"It's incredible," Sarah agreed, the two of them knowing that they would be in for quite the welcome upon reuniting with their Paldea friends and classmates.

Paldea, a land full of wonders and adventure never before seen in any of the other regions! Teaming with life and filled with awe-inspiring scenery, graceful and fiery Spanish culture, lots of tasty food, and, of course, complete with an amazing array of Pokémon unique only to the region of true mystery and excitement waiting just around the corner. Like the other regions, the Pokémon of Paldea live and thrive with humans, reading each other's thoughts and memories as they train, battle, and play together in perfect harmony. And, here, our heroes are preparing to land in Liko's fatherland where a certain group of people are waiting anxiously for the return of Sarah and Race.


(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)


Soon, the Dragon Craft and the Brave Olivine landed within the wide-open forest outside of Mesagosa City, Paldea's main capital, and the Rising Volt Tacklers and Cap woke up bright and early to go over their plans for the day.

"Okay, let's go over the plan before we head out," Friede informed.

"Okay. So, the two of you will go and stock up on supplies," Murdock nodded, turning to Orla and Mollie.

"And, while Orla and I are doing that, Friede's going to be taking Liko home, right?" Mollie nodded, their conversation getting Liko's attention as she and Sprigatito prepared to greet them and they listened in.

"Gonna be pretty lonely here without her, huh?" Orla sighed, feeling sentimental about Liko and her possible leave.

"Well, we all knew what we were in for when we took the job."

"Friede, take good care of Liko when you get there, okay?"

"You know it," Friede nodded to Orla as Liko entered the briefing room, getting their attention.

"Is that it? Of course, it is... That means, my journey...is over. Their job was to rescue me and bring me home, that's why my mom hired them," Liko thought sadly as Friede led her off of the Brave Olivine for the trip back to her family's home.

As she disembarked and prepared for the trek home with a bag of souvenirs for her family, Liko could've sworn that she saw Dot and Quaxly watching them leave before she left to tend to her Nidothing suit, leaving her puzzled as she mused, "Wait, was that...Dot, just now?"

"Liko, wait!" Roy cried out, making her and Friede turn to them as he and Fuecoco scrambled off the Brave Olivine to meet up with them. "Hey! Do you mind if I tag along? I really want to go sightseeing in Paldea!"

"It's not really that kind of trip, you know, Roy," Friede reminded in amusement.

"Well, but I-! I really want to see where Liko lives, too!" he begged.

"Liko smiled as she replied, "Well, I can show you around if it's just for a little bit."

"And, only if it's a little bit," Friede relented, chuckling.

This cheered Roy right up as he and Fuecoco happily declared, "Paldea, here we come!"

"PALDEA PARTY! LET'S PARTY!"

But, they weren't the only ones disembarking as they suddenly noticed Sarah and Race along with Johnathan, and Diane as they got off the Dragon Craft. What's surprising to them, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco is the sight of backpacks on their backs, the princess' family and the former BF Champion's team joining them as they disembarked, and the Terapagos Three who were being carried in Race and Sarah's arms. They and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers weren't told about the 4th of July celebration they planned on attending and the royal couple's reunion with their friends and Director Clavell from Uva Academy and Blueberry Academy so this was something new to them.

"Sarah, Race?"

"Where are you all going?" Liko and Friede puzzled.

"We're going to meet up with some old friends of ours from our time at Uva Academy while you're gone," Sarah replied. "We told them we're on our way back there and Grandma and Grandpa mentioned they have a surprise for us there as well."

"A surprise?" Roy quizzed.

"It's going to be a reunion between us Uva Academy students but if you feel like it, you can come over anytime and see what the academy is like. The director wouldn't mind some additional company if you feel like stopping by," Race informed as he and Sarah summoned Miraidon and Koraidon along with Serpent and Athiusa, the two Paradox Pokémon giving off happy chirps while the latter two hissed eagerly.


When they were all set, Sarah and Race got onto their respective Paradox Pokémon while Johnathan and Diane climbed aboard Athiusa and the three of them changed into their Drive Modes. Soon, the group walked, flew, slithered, or rode their way to the heart of Paldea and the starting point of the royal couple's Paldea adventures: Uva Academy itself and Mesagosa City.

"Ahh! Wow! It's huge!" Roy gawked, fascinated by what he and Fuecoco were seeing before them.

"That's Uva Academy, the school that Race and Sarah are currently attending. And, it's in the heart of Paldea which is here, Mesagosa City," Liko informed.

"Sure brings back memories of when we first attended the place, that time when we met Dr. Clavell and Nemona a short time after we registered and found a home here for us to stay in the region while we work on our studies," Sarah smiled.

"You and I were quite a hit back then and I won't be surprised if anybody remembers us from before. Especially you, I recall the Sprigatito, Quaxly, and Fuecoco Dr. Clavell and Nemona showed and allowed us to pick as our Starter Pokémon in this region all grew attached and flocked over to you on the way over to his estate. And, I bet they're waiting for you to take them all in. You're a role model to them off the bat, were you?" Race joked as he laughed.

"I am not!" Sarah laughed back as she punched her husband, getting a chuckle out of Friede, Liko, and Roy.

Then, Roy noticed something passing by from everyone's left and he quickly rushed back a bit to see what it was with Fuecoco joining him, "Hey, what's that over there?"

"Roy, wait!"

"Slow down!" Liko and Race called before he and Fuecoco saw a Cyclizar and its passenger rolling towards them, forcing it and its trainer to jump to avoid them as they ducked in surprise.

"Sorry about that!" Roy apologized, realizing he had nearly got himself and Fuecoco killed.

"No hard feelings," Cyclizar replied kindly.

Its partner felt the same way as he smiled and warned him, feeling just as relieved that an accident was avoided, "Try to be more careful, okay?"

"Sorry for the trouble!" Friede agreed as he bowed apologetically.

"Yeah, sorry about Roy, Piedro!" Sarah called.

"We'll keep an eye on him!" Race nodded.

The boy, Piedro, smiled brightly at the pair and said, "Thanks! And, welcome back, Sarah, Race! See ya later at the reunion!"

"We will!" the royal couple replied as Piedro waved and he and his Cyclizar rode away.

"That guy was riding a-!" Roy breathed, astonished by what he had seen after Piedro and his Cyclizar were gone.

Friede smiled as he confirmed to the young treasure hunter, "Yeah, that was a Paldea Pokémon, alright."

"And, you're in luck; that Pokémon you saw with Piedro, one of our fellow students here, is a modern-day descendant of Miraidon and Koraidon and one of the best means of getting around Paldea: a Cyclizar," Sarah informed, getting Roy excited as he pulled out his Rotom Phone and looked up Cyclizar.

"Cyclizar, the Mount Pokémon. A Dragon and Normal Type, Cyclizar lets people ride on its back as it runs like the wind. The rider's body heat gives it energy," Roy's Rotom Phone informed as the giant party made their way to another part of the academy.

"There's a bunch of shops and stuff over there," Liko informed, directing Roy to a string of shops and restaurants from a shopping district to their left that is only a short walk or Cyclizar ride away from Uva Academy.

"Wow! I want to go there!" Roy gushed as he began to look around the shops and try out the things he had never seen before, the entire experience being a learning experience for him since he had never set foot in human civilization away from his island abode.

Even Fuecoco was enjoying himself as he took in the sights and sounds of Mesagosa City, especially in terms of the food since he came across an ice cream stand and he and his party helped themselves to some treats including a popsicle. Of course, Sprigatito also took to the city well, especially since she came across a shop that was selling a variety of sweets including Matcha Tarts and Matcha Cakes.

"Liko, Sarah, Race, Paldea's a great place even though we're starting here at Mesagosa City, huh?" Roy asked, exhilarated over everything he had seen.

"Yeah," Liko replied as she thought happily, "I grew up here so everything around here seems pretty normal to me but seeing Roy so excited makes it somehow feel a little more special."

"There's a whole lot more to see in Paldea and Mesagosa City is indeed the tip of the iceberg," Sarah confirmed while Friede was on his Rotom Phone making a call.

"And, if you kids and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers have time before you leave, you're more than welcome to join us for the reunion party tonight," Race smiled at Liko and Roy, getting the pair excited.

"Honey~!"

"Sis!" called a pair of familiar voices as the group turned and found Sarah's entire human family and their Partner Pokémon with them with Delilah and Asha having been the ones who called the little princess, waving her over.

"Mom, Dad! Aunty, Uncle! Granny, Gramps, Asha! Tsukumaro!" Sarah beamed happily as her mother and sister rushed over before they shared a hug with Donna (former queen) and Nikki joining in along with the Pokémon with them.

She then had to do a double take as they broke the embrace and she watched Tsukumaro, Doug, James, and David along with Dragonite, Lucario, Mischief, and Absol straining hard as they pushed a large cart filled with shopping bags full of items their wives couldn't resist buying. Eventually, they finally reached the rest of their party and gave the cart one final push before they plopped onto the ground, the amount of bags shocking Roy, Liko, and their partners as their jaws dropped and their eyes bugged out while they gasped.

Friede, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh at the men's expense as he chortled, "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Looks like Delilah and the girls got you boys running into the ground with their nonstop Paldea shopping spree, huh?"

"Shut up," Doug, Tsukumaro, David, and James groaned in dismay.

"Of course, we couldn't let anything we find go to waste. Good to see you, Friede," Delilah chuckled as she and Friede shared an embrace and a small kiss.

"Whoa... That pile of bags in one giant cart is full of things the ladies bought while they were in Paldea?! Yikes, I'm glad my own mom didn't catch onto that," Liko gulped.

"Friede, Liko, Roy, I'd like you three, Fuecoco, and Sprigatito to meet my family, blood and adoptive," Sarah said as she began to introduce the trio and Liko and Roy's partners to her family (as soon as the men picked themselves back up). "This here's my mom: Delilah Tomoe, my dad: Doug Tomoe, my granny and gramps: Donna and David Tomoe, my adoptive mom and dad-turned-aunt and uncle: Nikki and James, and my sister: Asha. And, this guy with them is my godfather and my parents' advisor: Tsukumaro Wong."

"Greetings."

"Hello."

"It's an honor to meet you."

"Our pumpkin's told us much about you all."

"We're glad to drop by and meet you."

"Nice to meet you all."

"What's up?"

"Master Friede, Young Roy, Ms. Liko, what an honor," Delilah, Doug, Donna (former queen), David, James, Nikki, Asha, and Tsukumaro greeted warmly with their Pokémon joining them (Persian, Mischief, Dragonite, Lucario, Flipper, Flicka, Proud, and Absol) greeting them in turn as well.

Roy's eyes suddenly twinkled as he gave off a beaming smile and looked over Sarah's entire human family, "No way! Whoa! That's so cool, Sarah! Look at this, you got two sets of parents?! And, one that is of true royalty? WOW! I'm jealous, I want a family like that!"

Sarah chuckled at Roy's enthusiasm over her family before she came over and asked them, "What are you all doing here in Paldea? I wasn't expecting to see you all here as well!"

"Well, you may have forgotten while you, Race, Mom, and Dad were having your own adventures with your new friends and the Rising Volt Tacklers but last week was my and Nikki's wedding anniversary. So, we decided to come to Paldea for a vacation to celebrate the occasion. Makes perfect sense since today's the 4th of July and we figured that you'd come here to attend the Uva Academy Reunion Party to see your Paldea friends so we also decided to find you," James replied.

"Well, now, our anniversary was the week before yours, sonny," Johnathan said as he and Diane chuckled.

"Wow, that's so sweet!"

"Your wedding anniversaries were last week and the week before that, huh? My congratulations, you guys!"

"Yeah, congratulations!" Liko, Friede, and Roy smiled brightly, all of them feeling happy for Johnathan, Diane, and their children until Friede shut down a call he tried to make to Liko's mother who strangely didn't answer.

"Well, you guys can enjoy yourselves and meet up with your Paldea friends while Roy and I take Liko home. I'm having trouble getting through to Ms. Lucca, though, she's not answering."

"She's probably super busy at work or something. My dad should be at home, he usually is," Liko reassured, knowing that her father would be waiting for her at their family home.

"Well, then, let's give it a try," Friede agreed before he turned to Sarah. "You and your family go out now and have fun, Sarah. We'll come to the reunion party when we get the chance."

"Sure thing, Friede. Bye, Roy, Liko, see ya soon!" Sarah replied as she and Race along with Asha led their family and his team to their Paldea Summer House to prepare for the reunion with the royal couple's Paldea friends but not before giving Liko a wink.

"*See you soon? But, it can't be... Why would Sarah say that? This is supposed to be the end of my journey, isn't it...?*" Liko thought in surprise as she, Friede, Fuecoco, Sprigatito, and Roy went to her house to meet up with her father.

During their time at Uva Academy, Asha, Sarah, and Race were easily able to find and buy a large house in the small cape town settlement of Cabo Poco for them as well as the Viking Teens should they accompany them whenever they needed a break from their own adventures in Berk. They didn't live very far from the academy as well as Nemona's mansion which was connected via a straight path down the road from their house. Of course, wanting to fit their entire family inside, Sarah went through the trouble of putting in the Undetectable Extension Charm to make the house's interior bigger.

"Well, there it is. Our Paldea Summer Penthouse Pack, it's definitely out of the way since we're on Paldea's southern coast in Cabo Poco but it's peaceful and quiet," Asha said, introducing her and Sarah's human family to their and Race's Paldea summerhouse.

"Bloody hell, it looks amazing."

"Oh, honey, it's wonderful!"

"Man, drop the Union Pacific Railroad on my head, looks kinda snug, that is."

"Are all houses in Paldea like this?" gasped Tsukumaro, Delilah, James, and Doug in awe and surprise.

"Hey, look, there they are! Sarah, mi amigo!"

"Race, hey!"

"Asha!" three familiar voices rang out amidst a flurry of happy cheers as Sarah, Race, and Asha then noticed Penny, Nemona, and Arven waving to them from the path leading to the Paldea Champion Trainer's mansion as they ran over.

The Champion Trainer in question was waving excitedly at them and alongside the trio were Penny's friends from Team Star: Mela, Eri, Ortega, Atticus, and Giacamo along with Carmine, Kieran, Drayton, Lacey, Amarys, and Crispin. Even the Viking Teens and their dragons were with them, and amazingly, the Paldea Starters with her and Director Clavell from the trio's first day in Paldea were amongst them as well.

Race, Sarah, and Asha were just as excited to see them, especially their Paldea friends, again as they also ran over to them and shouted, "Nemona, Arven!"

"Penny!"

"Hey, guys!"

The Paldea group continued to cheer and say hello to their Uva Academy returnees as they reunited happily and laughed, sharing excited hugs, high-fives, and handshakes with Toothless and his fellow dragons greeting Sarah and Race's dragons including Winter, Shadow, and Bolt. Mabosstiff, Arven's partner, was also amongst the happy Paldea flock, and to Sarah's amazement, he was still feeling as fit as a fiddle.

"HA-HA-HA-HA! Hi, Mabostiff! How are you feeling, boy?" Sarah laughed as the Boss Pokémon licked her.

"Spiffy as ever, Sarah! I'm still 100% great, never better in my life!" he laughed back.

"Aww...!" Sarah and Asha's human family cooed as Fritter, Danish, Pastry, and Muffin barked excitedly for Mabosstiff, grateful to see their older Paldea dog companion looking as strong as ever.

"How have you been, you three?"

"We missed you!" Drayton and Eri grinned.

"You took a while getting here, mi viejos dorados, but I see you're still in top form! Took a little detour while you were on your way back while you were out with the Rising Volt Tacklers and a few new friends of yours, huh?" Nemona joked.

"Very funny, Nemona! You guys haven't changed a bit since we returned home for the summer!" laughed Sarah.

"Director Clavell told us you would be back here after he called you so we figured we meet with you here at your summerhouse before we go to the academy for the reunion party," Atticus smirked playfully.

"Well, technically, Director Clavell told me you would be coming back to Paldea but these two busybodies eavesdropped on us and got everybody else to tag along," Arven corrected as he smirked at their classmates, placing his hands on his waist. "Anyway, the reunion sounds like a plan and a big one at that. I've been coming up with a ton of new recipes with Mabosstiff here since you left, and besides, it gives all of us an excuse to finally meet your family in person."

"Y-Yeah, whatever!" Penny nodded sheepishly despite her own excitement.

Miraidon and Koraidon were just as ecstatic to meet up with their old friends again and Miraidon even went as far as to trot his way to Penny as he happily licked her and shrieked in surprise at the affection he was giving her, "Eek! Oh! Uh-! Ah, oh no! Not you a-Ah! Gah, no! Race, help me! Help me, help!"

Race chuckled sheepishly at Miraidon's affection for the Team Star leader as he went over to his futuristic Paradox Pokémon and nudged him off of his, Sarah, and Asha's shy friend, "Okay, Miraidon, okay...! Easy! Let her breathe!"

"N-Nice to see you again, too, Miraidon," Penny sighed, adjusting her glasses.

Nemona laughed at this as she remarked, "Well, by the way Miraidon was having it with his love for Penny, and how everybody else is faring, your Pokémon are all doing well. We're still in the midst of summer break and your family's energetic and as ever! They're great! Did you do something with them before returning?"

"What about me, poi?"

Tsukumaro's partner after Absol and his female best friend and traveling company cooed innocently as she appeared but without any of her masks on given that her self-confidence grew considerably to the point where she no longer feels ashamed and/or frightened to show her true face to the public and walk amongst everyone else during her time with the Gryffindor alumni.

"You too, Ogrepon, I'm sure we haven't forgotten you," Nemona sniggered at her.

"So, little buddy, you all arrived just in time. Came here for the reunion party, I'd reckon?" Arven joked to Sarah.

"Right, and not just that. My and Race's new friend, Liko, is home for the time being while our traveling team, the Rising Volt Tacklers, are also here to stock up on supplies with Friede and Roy taking her there. They'll be coming for the reunion party via our invitation," Sarah replied.

"And, our family's here for my parents and grandparents' wedding anniversaries which were last week and the week before that," Asha added.

"Wicked cool, dudettes!

"A double wedding anniversary whammy? Sweet, we got a double party-palooza!" Giacamo and Atticus beamed.

"Wow, that's great news! Congratulations, comadara!" Nemona grinned before she turned to her and Sarah's family. "Well, mi sus majestades, I've heard many stories about you from your daughters and Race and I'm very interested to test your skill. Want to battle, 1-on-1?"

"Hmm/Excuse me?" puzzled Nikki and James.

"Nemona LOVES battling with other trainers, she's been battling us since we first met. But, it never gets old and she's helped to keep us battle-ready and on the alert for danger," Sarah explained.

"Anybody wanna run for the hills now should it get fiery?" Penny asked innocently.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Nemona whined while pouting cutely.

"You know what I mean!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Girls, girls! Chill, let's not get carried away. You promised Director Clavell before we came here that you'd be on your best behavior, didn't you?" Arven pacified as he found himself stuck in the middle between them.

"Ugh, I don't know what or who you're referring to, Arven. But, whatever," sighed Penny with a disgruntled snark as Nemona gave an equally disgruntled huff.

Sarah just smiled at the trio as she remarked, "I guess you three haven't changed a bit."

Even Race agreed as he chuckled at them before he said, "Just try not to get carried away again, alright? How about we save the excitement for the reunion party and the fireworks tonight and just enjoy ourselves until then?"

Nemona, Arven, and Penny looked at each other before they smiled back and nodded, the Champion Trainer speaking on everyone's behalf on their end, "Deal."

Between them, Sarah, Race, Koraidon, and Miraidon, it seemed as though things regarding their team dynamic and friendship hadn't changed, and as they and everybody else with them continued to enjoy themselves with Penny, her friends, Nemona, Arven, Carmen, Kieran, Drayton, Lacey, Amarys, and Crispin got to know the little princess' family, none of them would have it any other way.


As the surprise pre-party reunion was carried out, Friede, Roy, Liko, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco were making their way to the young girl's home but Liko was still thinking about what Sarah had said before she and her family parted ways with them to meet up with her and Race's Paldea friends. She knew that the Rising Volt Tacklers had been asked by her mother to protect her as her bodyguards and to take her home but she thought it was the end of the road for her and she didn't understand why Sarah told her that she and her family would 'see her soon' as she did.

"*What should I do, what do I want to do? Oh, I don't know... And, what did Sarah mean by 'See you soon'? Does she know that I'd somehow come back, did she mean anything by that? What am I to do..?*" she thought, not wanting her journey to end even though she was back home.

"Well, here we are. I believe we've just arrived at your house, Liko."

Friede's call broke her from her thoughts as the lively quintet reached a simple yet elegant two-story suburban house which amazed Roy and Fuecoco as they had never seen another house like it, especially in the former's island abode as well.

"Wow! Liko, your house is amazing!" Roy complimented excitedly.

"Um, I, uh... I don't know about that, honestly," Liko replied humbly despite a little hesitation which got Friede's attention.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh! Uh, no, no. It's nothing, hmm."

They soon made their way to Liko's home and just as they arrived, another Fidough appeared and scampered over to Liko while barking happily at her as this Fidough had been her family's pet and one of her only Pokémon companions before she went to Indigo Academy and met Sprigatito.

"Hey, Fidough! I'm home, buddy," she laughed, beaming at the Paldea Puppy Pokémon.

"Whoa! I've never seen that Pokémon either! I remember Sarah having another one like that!" Roy gushed as he brought out his Rotom Phone and scanned the Fidough before him.

"Fidough, the Puppy Pokemon. A Fairy Type, Fidough feels warm and moist to the touch and the yeast it releases when it exhales can ferment things in the surrounding area."

"This is my dad's Pokémon," Liko introduced before Fidough happily licked her face, making her laugh, "Hey, that tickles! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Fuecoco was immediately swooned by the Fairy Type as Fidough jumped onto him, fermenting him as he rolled back and forth on his back, having fallen in love with Liko's Dad's partner. However, Sprigatito didn't enjoy seeing that let alone Fidough as a whole as she began to feel a little uneasy.

"Hmm? That you, Liko?"

A young man named Alex, who is actually Liko's father, appeared from the kitchen window having heard his Fidough greeting his daughter upon her return and seeing her with her new friends. He was surprised yet happy to see her back as he gave her a heartwarming smile.

"Oh! Um, hey, Dad," Liko greeted awkwardly as they met him at the door.

"Welcome home, Liko. Thank you so much for your help, Sir."

"The name's Friede, nice to finally meet ya," Friede smiled back as the two men shared a handshake.

"I'm Roy. And, this is my partner, Fuecoco," Roy greeted as Fuecoco greeted Alex with a happy "**Hi!**".

"I'm Liko's father, Alex. I wanted to thank you for looking after our daughter and bringing her home."

Friede just snickered modestly as he replied, "Well, I didn't do it alone."

Then, Alex noticed that the five of them were two people short, and in the occasional calls he and his wife, Liko's mother: Lucca, had from the Rising Volt Tacklers, he was curious about them since they were told that their daughter was friends with Alolan royalty.

"Liko, I heard you also made two new friends while at Indigo Academy and you traveled with them on the way back to Paldea. Do you know where they are?"

"Oh, you mean Sarah and Race? They met up with the rest of their family and they went to their summerhouse to meet up with some friends of theirs to celebrate the 4th of July. They'll be at Uva Academy for the reunion party tonight," Liko smiled.


At the same time, while Friede and his party took Liko home and Sarah and Race's reunion with their Paldea friends was underway, back at the Brave Olivine, Dot had managed to wash her Nidothing cosplay and get rid of the smell that knocked her out and Quaxly picked up on. She was also thinking about Liko and how things would be if she and everybody else were to depart now that the Rising Volt Tacklers' mission with her was complete and wondered what path her Paldean acquaintance would follow in the meantime.

"That should do it," she sighed with relief as she hung out her cleaned Nidothing suit to dry on the observation deck and Quaxly gave his approval, no longer smelling the treacherous odor that gave them a rough morning before her thoughts returned to Liko. "You know what, I wonder what she's gonna do?"

A sneeze from Ludlow inside the observation deck's window house got her attention as she and Quaxly met up with the old fisherman while he slept on one of the couches (as he had been the one responsible for giving her the Duckling Pokémon and the Paldea Water Starter was a close friend of his since he and the Rising Volt Tacklers met). She had a feeling he was around the ship somewhere and she suspected he was having a nap in the observation room rather than fishing for the day as he always had done.

"So, you were up here."

With a yawn, Ludlow then sagely told her (with years of wisdom under his belt regardless of his old age), "If you're not, whether you're not answering, it's the same as if you were never there. If you are worried but saying nothing, it's the same as if you never were here, at all."

With Orla and Mollie on their end, while they were stocking up on supplies at a coffee shop, the latter was starting to have second thoughts about Friede being the one to take Liko home to Alex.

"Find anything good?"

"Yeah... But, I don't know, maybe I should've gone with Friede."

"Mollie, weren't you the one saying we shouldn't go barging in with a big crowd all at once?"

"Yeah, I said that, but..."


Back to Liko and her party, Alex was showing Friede and Roy around their home as they went inside, the young man eager to know more about Roy while they all got into talks with each other. He was interested to know how things were with Liko since she entered Indigo Academy and how she came to meet up with him, Sarah, and Race and become good friends with the three of them.

"So, Roy, you're a member of the Rising Volt Tacklers?" he asked the young treasure hunter.

"Yeah! Liko, Race, and Sarah, too. Right, Liko?" Roy blabbed happily, turning to his Paldea friend.

"Liko is...?" Alex began again, surprised before Friede quickly changed the subject as he went to an expertly drawn/painted picture of a Kantonian Arcanine.

"Hey, Roy, look," the unconventional professor noted, directing Roy to the drawing and the drawing of a Kantonian Rapidash next to it.

"Whoa! Look at that, an Arcanine! But, it's not yellow like Sarah's, it's orange! And, a Rapidash! But, Sarah's is also completely different! So, are you an artist, Sir?" Roy gushed in awe as he turned to Alex who smiled at him with a nod.

He then gestured to his art study behind a double door close by, "I am. You see, I am an author of what are called Pokémon Picture Books. I've got a lot of them over there in my study."

"Really?! Oh, I love to see those!"

"Sure, you can. Read any that you'd like."

"Seriously?! Let's go, Fuecoco!"

As Roy and Fuecoco went inside Alex's study, Liko looked around for her mother as Fidough continued to enjoy her company, nuzzling the young girl to her right. All the while, Sprigatito started to glare at her, feeling jealous of the Paldea Puppy Pokémon and feeling left out as if Liko was paying more attention to the Fairy Type belonging to her father and not her.

"Uh, where's Mom?" the young girl puzzled her father.

"She's busy, I doubt she'll be back today," Alex admitted as Liko went to her room with Fidough following her.

"I figured, guess Mom has lots of stuff to do even while I'm away, doesn't she? I'm gonna go take my stuff to my room, Dad. Friede, why don't you and Dad relax in the meantime?"

Friede and Alex watched her go to her room but seeing Fidough join her as she left them to their own devices, Sprigatito kept her keen glare at the Fairy Type. With her jealousy taking over, she finally had enough and turned before walking out the door, a wave of conflicting emotions flowing through her as she didn't know what to make of it.

Just as she was about to enter her room, Liko finally noticed that her Grass Cat Pokémon didn't follow her and Fidough, asking her father's Pokémon where she went only to get a confused head tilt as the Paldea Puppy Pokémon didn't know where she went, either. Deciding to look for her partner, she went inside and Fidough left to rejoin Alex and Friede in the kitchen, setting her stuff down and looking out the window to see if she had run off somewhere. Sure enough, when she finally looked upon the shadow of her house's roof, the young girl noticed Sprigatito's shadow on the roof and gasped as she saw her partner.

"How would you like some coffee, Friede?" Alex offered to the unconventional professor as he prepared a drink or two for themselves and Fidough joined him on the couch.

"Sure thing. Thank you so much, I'd love some," Friede nodded.

"These particular coffee beans are a favorite of mine," the artist explained as he went to pick up a jar of coffee beans to make the coffee he enjoyed only to discover that he is currently low on what he had on him. "Well, that's upsetting."

Just as Liko got on the roof to meet with Sprigatito, however, the jealous Paldea Grass Starter scampered off again as she passed by her.

"Wait!" she called out but Sprigatito didn't stop, prompting her to follow her partner as she got off the roof and returned to terra-firma as Alex went inside a room he had converted or made in his family's home as his art studio and got to work on an unfinished painting of his Fidough.

"If it's alright, I'm gonna get back to my painting. I got a pretty big deadline tomorrow."

"Don't mind me."

Their conversation drew Liko's attention as she looked for Sprigatito and she saw them talking before she eavesdropped on them, hearing what her father had to say to the professor, "So, how'd things go with her while she was on your ship?"

"She seemed like she was having a lot of fun, never a dull moment with her, Sarah, and Race whenever they're together."

"Oh, right. I get it, the Alolan Sun Princess and her husband Lucca and I had been hearing so many good things about, right?"

"The very same."

"I have to admit; Liko, I was pretty worried about her. I kept wondering how she was handling herself, you know, being all on her own at school and everything... I thought she could commute from here. I know it's a little far, but..."

"Did you ask Liko how she was feeling?"

"Dad was...worried about me?" Liko pondered as she listened in. She tried to slip away unnoticed so she could continue looking for Sprigatito but she accidentally bumped her head on the open window frames, alerting the men and Fidough to her eavesdropping until she covered up her listening in as she called out while jumping through the window, "Sprigatito, where are you?"

"Liko, why are you coming in through the window?"

"I'm just looking for Sprigatito, I can't find her anywhere."

Friede was surprised as he then asked, "Did you, hear all of that?"

Liko remained silent but she nodded as she looked around the house and told them, "Sorry, but I really need to find my Pokémon."

Eventually, she managed to find Sprigatito on top of one of the living room cabinets as she sniffed her out (given she had emitted her sweet scent), "There you are. What's going on, Sprigatito? You've been acting weird since we came home."

"Is she not doing what you're telling her to do?" Alex asked worriedly as he and Friede came over and saw her napping while in one of her moods while Fidough went over to the young girl.

"She's usually more of a good Pokémon and she's never acted like this. I'm... I'm gonna go over to Sarah and Race's place for the day."

"Hmm? But, you just got here."

"Yeah, well... Mom isn't home and you're really busy. So, I don't want to get in the way..."

Friede couldn't help but be surprised by Liko's white lie as he started to realize what was wrong with her, "Hang on a sec..."

"...Sprigatito?" Liko called, wanting her partner to join her.

"Liko?" Fidough peeped worriedly as she looked at Liko and then back at Sprigatito.

But, all the young girl got from her partner was Sprigatito opening her eyes slightly before she jumped off the cabinet and walked off without another word even when Liko tried to return her to her Pokeball.

"So, that's how it is then," Liko sighed with defeat as she turned to her father. "Dad, can you watch over her for today? I'll come back for her tomorrow."

"Well, uh... Sure, I guess," Alex replied, looking a little dumbfounded while Roy immersed himself in many of Alex's picture books the entire time he, Friede, and Liko were with him and Fidough while Fuecoco was happily asleep.


After saying goodbye to her father and promising to see him as well as Roy and Friede again the following day as the latter duo and Fuecoco returned to the Brave Olivine for the night, Liko went on her way to Sarah, Asha, and Race's summerhouse to spend the night with the little princess and her husband and sister. She was still worried about Sprigatito and how she had been behaving since she returned home and reunited with her father and Fidough and she was wondering if her royal friends could help her understand why she was ignoring her throughout their stay. Not only that but she had also been genuinely surprised that Alex was deeply worried for her ever since she went to Indigo Academy and she didn't exactly know how he and her mother truly felt about her leaving Paldea to study at the Kanto boarding school on-site rather than remotely and wanted Sarah's input on the matter.

It wasn't long before she came across the royal couple and Asha's summerhouse and she knocked on the door, eventually seeing Sarah again as she answered it.

"Hi, Liko. What are you doing here, shouldn't you be at home by now?" Sarah smiled warmly just as Nemona barged in excitedly, startling Liko as she jumped back.

"Ooh! Santa fantástica, is this one of your new friends you're traveling with right now?" she gushed.

"Chill, Nemona, go easy on her!" Sarah cried as she pushed her energetic friend back, chuckling sheepishly at Liko. "Sorry, Liko, that's Nemona. She's one of my, Race, and Asha's classmates at Uva Academy and she's quite the battle fanatic."

"Oh, uh... No trouble, really. She just surprised me," Liko replied with an awkward chuckle of her own before she continued, feeling conflicted, "...Um, Sarah, would you, mind if we talked in private for a minute?"

Sarah was surprised but she was more than happy to lend an ear and a helping hand whenever she's got something on her mind, "Sure, come on in."

Bringing Liko into the summerhouse, Sarah led her to her room while the young girl became fascinated by how big it was from the interior thanks to the little princess' Undetectable Extension Charm. As she walked with her best friend, she was greeted warmly by Race, Asha, their Paldea friends (all of whom she didn't know yet), and the Viking Teens along with their Pokémon and the dragons which got a small smile out of her, momentarily making her forget her concerns with Sprigatito and Alex's worry for her.

Eventually, they arrived in her bedroom and once she was sure they were alone with only their thoughts for company, Sarah turned to Liko (taking note of the lack of Sprigatito by her side) and kindly asked, "Well, Liko, how did things go with you when you returned home? Everything alright with you and Sprigatito? I just noticed she wasn't with you when you came over."

"...Well, she's staying with my dad at my place for the night. But, I guess... I've been thinking, and I... Um," Liko began, wondering how she would explain her predicament until she finally said, "...I heard my dad telling Friede earlier that he was worried about me ever since I left to go to Indigo Academy in the Kanto Region. He thought I would learn remotely from Paldea, and now that I know how he felt about my leaving, I, um, uh..."

"...You have no idea of what to do now that you're back home, huh?"

"Mm-hmm..."

"...You know the old saying that 'you need to do what you want to do if you love doing it', right? If you love traveling with us, Roy, and the Rising Volt Tacklers, why not tell your dad how you felt from your heart? Let him know how much you love going on exciting adventures with us and he'll understand, especially as long as you don't forget about school in the meantime if you recall Ann and her Oshawott. He'll have no problem supporting you no matter what you do in life as long as you love doing it. He'll still love you no matter what path you follow but he won't understand unless you tell him how you feel and what you want to do first."

Liko was silent as she thought about what Sarah told her. She knew she was right; she had to tell her father that she didn't want to stay in Paldea forever and remain with the Rising Volt Tacklers so she could have more adventures with them, the royal couple, and Roy. She felt free and happy traveling with them while looking for the Terastal Shiny Rayquaza and everything else they did whenever they got together and she didn't want it all to end. She knew that she made her choice already but she didn't know how to put it into words with her father.

"Hmm... Ever since I told everyone that I wanted to learn more about my pendant and the three Pokemon Sarah and Race have on them, and asked for their help, I just...knew. And, it hasn't changed; I want to keep traveling with the Rising Volt Tacklers and Roy. I want to stay with her and Race, I want to continue having more adventures with them... Especially since there's still so much to learn about my pendant and the three Pokémon from them the Explorers are after..."

"Now, with your partner, do you know why Sprigatito's staying with your dad at your place? Something must've really drawn another wedge between you two from what I can tell."

"...I don't know. But, she's been acting strangely since I came home and she, Friede, Roy, and Fuecoco met my dad's Fidough."

The little princess was surprised but she seemed to have a good idea as to why Sprigatito acted as she did, "Go on..."

Liko sighed but nodded as she looked away and continued, "Well, I didn't notice but she sounded a little miffed earlier when I felt Fidough nuzzle me; she must've missed me a lot while I was gone. She would walk away whenever I tried to get her and when I asked her to come with me here to your, Asha, and Race's place for the night, she ignored me, especially when I tried to return her to her Pokeball. I don't know what's gotten into her..."

Sarah stared at the young girl when she had finished. Then, she began to laugh, surprising Liko as the young girl could only watch her in bewilderment.

"What's so funny?" she puzzled as the little princess eventually calmed down.

"If I didn't know any better," Sarah replied, still trying to compose herself. "I'd say Sprigatito was feeling jealous of your dad's partner."

Liko was taken aback as she spluttered, "J-J-Jealous?"

"Liko, when you came home with Friede, Roy, Fuecoco, and Sprigatito and Fidough came out to meet you, did she make an impression on them including a happy nuzzle for you and excited barks? She must've been just as worried for you and excited to not only see you again but also meet Friede, Fuecoco, your partner, and Roy since she's never seen them before."

"Uh, yeah... That's what happened, really. She took to them quite easily but Sprigatito seemed a little off and I just didn't know how she felt..."

"Hmm, that's the problem; you and Sprigatito had grown so much as friends and partners in such a short time that when she saw how chipper Fidough was over seeing you again and meeting, Fuecoco, Friede, and Roy as well as her, she didn't want any other Pokémon fondling over you and you doing the same with them. She felt like you were replacing her and she felt left out as a result, thinking you should've paid more attention to her instead. It's what we humans call, 'Possessiveness'."

"Possessiveness?"

Sarah nodded as she gently yet earnestly told the young girl, "If there is one thing that can be said about Sprigatito during that whole thing you told me, I'd say Sprigatito loves you just as much as you loved her since you first met. You two had grown close together since your first days with Race and I back at Indigo Academy. And, when she saw how much your dad's Fidough loved you when she welcomed you home, she felt like she was taking you away from her. She has a lot of spunk and she seemed aloof in different periods but she does have her fears and issues, too; the biggest one that I know of given what you told me is that... She's more afraid of losing you."

Liko gasped in realization, now knowing that with all of the attention she had given to everything else and Fidough, she had completely neglected her partner and had no idea that she was jealous of her father's own Partner Pokémon as a result. She began to feel guilty, wishing she had known about Sprigatito's jealousy sooner and not waited until now to find out why.

"I can't believe it! I was so wrapped up in everything else, and being happy that I was home again, I didn't even notice her...! Oh, Sprigatito, I'm sorry..."

"Look, she still loves you but you need to give her time to think things through and let her know that you still love her, so much to the point that nobody would make you think they're taking you away from her for good. Then, once she's in the right mind again, try talking it out with her. For now, why not come with us and our friends to celebrate the 4th of July at Uva Academy? Maybe, partying the night away can help you take your mind off of her until tomorrow. I'm sure Nemona, Arven, and Penny would love to get to know you and you can meet my family, too."

Liko thought for a moment but realized that Sprigatito would need as much time as she needed to clear her mind of her jealousy of Alex's Fidough as she would so she smiled and said, "I'd love to, thanks!"

Soon, it was time for the 4th of July reunion party at Uva Academy as its students, old and new, from newly-orientated greenhorn newbies to school alumni, everybody and their Pokémon were enjoying themselves as the party was held at the academy's schoolyard. Even the faculty staff were present along with the Paldea League gym leaders, Paldea's Elite Four, and the region's Top Champion: Greeta were at hand to join in on the fun and welcome everyone since the celebration was also an honorary open house day.

Liko was with Sarah, Race, Asha, their Paldea friends, their family, and the Viking Teens along with their Pokémon and dragons (with Lazuli and her Partner Pokémon tagging along since she was wearing her cloak over her uniform until she could get a new set of clothing to replace it for good) as they entered the schoolyard and were greeted warmly by everyone around them.

"Wow...!" breathed Liko, completely awestruck as she took in the party atmosphere while keeping close to her friends so she wouldn't get separated and end up lost staring at everything around her.

She knew that Roy, Friede, and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers would be missing out on the fun given that they needed some sleep and Sprigatito was still staying with her dad and Fidough for the night but she planned to make the most of it with the friends she has with her on their behalf and not worry too much.

"Hola, Sarah! Great to see you, Asha, and Race back here again!" grinned one of the school's alumni at the little princess.

"Thank you, Pablo!" Sarah smiled at the student, Pablo, as they passed.

"Bienvenido de nuevo Uva Academy, Race!" shouted a female student named Delores excitedly, seeing Race.

"Gracias, Delores," chuckled Race.

"Break a leg, Senorita Asha!" one of the teachers cheered for Asha.

"Appreciate it!" Asha called back, waving at the teacher.

"Like what you're seeing, Liko?" Sarah grinned at Liko.

"It's amazing! Uva Academy went all out with this party!" she gushed.

"Well, if it isn't our guests of the night! We were wondering if you'd turn up tonight," Greeta grinned as she and Paldea's Elite Four (Rika, Poppy, Larry, and Hassel) joined by Director Clavell, the academy's teachers: Jacq, Tyme, Salvatore, Raifort, Dendra, Hassel, and Saguaro, the school nurse: Miriam, and even Briar from Blueberry Academy was present.

"**Hey, it's Ms. Greeta and the good adults! Come on, let's meet 'em!**" Muffin cheered as she and her sisters rushed over to the adults.

"Hola, Muffin! Have you been a good girl along with your sisters?" laughed Director Clavell as he was one of the first to see them again, the Fidough in question barking happily with Fritter, Pastry, and Danish in response before he turned to and smiled at his academy's brightest students in ages. "And, speaking of good girls, how about you two and Race, Ms. Sarah? It's a pleasure to see you all again."

"Hola, Ms. Greeta, Director, we're great. But, it's also nice to know you all, our friends here, and everyone else in the academy are getting on well," Sarah replied, smiling as she, her family, and Liko joined the faculty staff, the Elite Four, and the Top Champion.

"We missed you ever since you returned to Alola for summer vacation," Rika added. "And, these lovely people, are they your family?"

"Yes, Ms. Rika, my blood and adoptive family; you already know my husband and sister: Race & Asha. These two are my real parents and Alola's current king and queen: Doug and Delilah Tomoe and these are my real granny and gramps and my mom and dad's parents: Donna and David. The other four with us are Asha's parents and both her real and my adoptive parents who are also my aunt and uncle and grandparents from her side of the family: Nikki, James, Johnathan, and Diane. And, you remember my parents' advisor and my godfather, Tsukumaro Wong?"

"Sir Clavell, Ms. Greeta, ladies, gentlemen," smiled Tsukumaro as he and Orgepon bowed kindly to the staff, the Top Champion, and the Elite Four.

"Mr. Wong, good to see you again! Your Majesties, welcome to Uva Academy! You and your entire family grace us with your presence and you all should be very proud of your daughters and Race, they're the best students we've ever had in some time and they've done wonders for everyone while we had them," Director Clavell smiled, he and his fellow staff bowing in kindness and reverence to the Alolan royalty before them.

"Director, come now, get up. It is an honor for *us* to be with you and our daughter, her sister, and her husband for this special occasion. Our baby has told us much about you and the students you had over the years; you and your staff and friends must be very proud of them, too," Doug replied humbly.

"And, we've heard many wonderful things and interesting stories about you from them, mainly the princess, in turn. We were most surprised to find out about your return after the threat of Team Eclipse had passed," Jacq replied.

"Things around this place have become much livelier ever since they registered here and made a name for themselves," joked Miriam with a chuckle.

"My baby tends to have that effect on people," Delilah chuckled as she then cutely pinched her daughter's cheeks. "I hope she hasn't been giving you any trouble while they were here."

"Mom!" Sarah whined as she broke free and pouted with a small whine at her mother babying her (crossing her arms cutely as she did so), making everybody laugh at her expense.

"However, regarding your Paradox Pokémon, especially Miraidon and Koraidon, how have they been holding up as of late?" put in Dendra, making everybody turn their attention to the Paradox Pokemon belonging to Sarah and Race including the aforementioned futuristic and prehistoric reptiles that are currently mingling and playing with Serpent and Athiusa.

"Yeah, yeah, we know what you're thinking. But, we're peachy. We're cool, that's that," Terrakion's slightly psychotic robotic descendant, Iron Boulder, replied gruffly.

"Agreed, all of us are on our best behavior. Calm yourselves," Raikou's ancestor and Link's brother, Raging Bolt, confirmed.

Everybody gathered smiled with relief as Raifort beamed, "That's good, they're doing much better compared to before."

"And, what of the Treasures of Ruin?" Hassel inquired intently.

The group turned to Chien and his brothers as they helped themselves to the food being served, Chi-Yu hearing Hassel as he turned and answered on behalf of himself and his brother, "We're okay!"

"I'm glad, Mr. Raifort, Hassel. It really means a lot coming from you and all of Paldea, knowing the tragic history they had under their belts," Sarah nodded.

"Ah, and I assume this fine young lady with you is Liko from Indigo Academy?" Director Clavell smiled again, now turning his attention to Liko.

Liko jumped before she composed herself, trying to make a good first impression on him, "Ek! Oh, uh... Y-Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you, Director Clavell."

The Terapagos Three were also enjoying themselves as they happily cooed and squirmed in their owners' arms, seeing their Paldea adult friends once more. Briar smiled as she came over to the royal couple and rubbed them by their heads, making them coo cutely at her.

"I see these little cuties are as lively as ever," she grinned.

"Yeah, well, it felt as though we're dealing with a trio of younger Skittys with how rambunctious they're being ever since the third one from Area Zero joined us."

"But, we wouldn't have it any other way for them," Sarah and Race replied.

"YAAAAAAAY!"

"YIPPEEEEEEEEE!"

"DOGPILE!" a trio of familiar voices screamed cheerfully before the Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly belonging to Director Clavell (during the start of the royal couple and Asha's time in Uva Academy) appeared and jumped Sarah, latching onto any part of her body and making her fall which caused them all, the princess, two Terapagos with her to laugh as the latest reunion took place.

"Hey, guys!" Sarah continued to laugh, seeing the Paldea Starters cuddling her.

"We missed you!" the Uva Academy Sprigatito meowed.

"Welcome home!" added the Uva Academy Fuecoco, grinning from cheek to cheek.

"How've you been since we went back to Alola for the summer?"

"Oh, like a jar full of fresh Vespiqueen honey!" Quaxly snarked coolly which got the three Paldea Starters, Sarah, and her Terapagos with her laughing again.

The laugh was contagious as everybody with them laughed along, enjoying the reunion between the Academy's Starters and the little princess before Zelda joined the group as Director Clavell made his thoughts and amusement known, "You've certainly made quite the impression on them when you first arrived and they still hadn't gotten over you, Ms. Sarah. Not a day here during the summer goes by without them thinking about you since the day you, your family, Mr. Race, and your sister returned to Alola after graduating from your first year."

"And, if I know you, Director, since they were missing her dearly judging by how they sounded when they found her, you're giving them to her?" Zelda inquired knowingly.

Director Clavell nodded as he happily confirmed while laughing, "To be honest, I'm most sorry I haven't had the chance to stop her and bring them over to her before they had to leave. They were thinking about her all the time and wondering when she would come back to Paldea, and when I was told that she and Race would be attending our reunion party tonight, I decided to break the news to them as well. You all should've seen the looks on their faces when I told them I'll be handing them over to her when she comes here. I haven't seen them so happy and energetic in weeks!"

"Oh, brother," groaned Eternatus and Silvally in dismay, knowing what it meant for Sarah.

Kieran felt the same way as he joined Sarah and added, "Here, Sarah, this is for you. Drayton and I knew you had Appletun for a while so this will give him company."

He held out a Premier Ball as Sarah picked herself up while her new Paldea Starters continued to latch onto her, the little princess kindly taking the ball and opening it to its occupant as a brand new Pokémon for her known as a Hydrapple (which is the fourth of Applin's final forms (the first being Flappe when exposed to a Tart Apple, the second being Appletun when exposed to a Sweet Apple, and the third Dipplin when exposed to a Syrupy Apple)).

"What is tha-AHH!?" Sarah gasped, staring at Hydrapple in surprise before she yelped as seven syrpents appeared from the apple and greeted their new owner happily.

"Hello!"

Sarah was speechless as she flinched in bewilderment but Drayton and Kieran laughed as they explained, "That's a Hydrapple, the fourth final evolved form of Applin AND the only member of Applin's evolutionary relatives that has none of its evolutionary relatives appearing in the Blueberry Academy's Pokedex, in case you've forgotten."

"This guy wanted to be with you again, especially since he was missing Appletun since they first met each other when you, Race, and Asha first came to the academy on behalf of Uva Academy. They got along pretty well and he was especially fond of you so we and everybody else agreed to let him graduate and have him become your Pokemon from now on."

"Not the Sweet Apple Heads Seven again!" Lopunny groaned as she slumped down in dismay.

"Oh, no!" her siblings agreed, the majority all sharing her horror and disgruntlement.

The only one amongst them who was genuinely excited about this was Appletun as he cheered, "YEAH! Alright! Now, I have an Apple Buddy for life! WHOO!"

He toddled over to Hydrapple and the two of them instantly clicked, much to the amusement of everyone else. This made Nemona even more excited as she couldn't hold back her excitement over the possibility of battling Sarah again with Hydrapple or another Pokémon on her when she, Arven, and Penny along with the latter's friends met up with them.

"Eso es salvaje, Sarah! I'm jealous, why is it that you, Race, and Asha often get nice things? On the other hand, this makes me want to battle you again even more! Hey, we can battle right now until the fireworks start!" she gushed excitedly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold it, we're not going that far!" Arven warned.

"Nemona, how about we postpone your battle bonanza until tomorrow? We still got the night ahead of us."

"Hiccup's right, let's wind it down a bit and enjoy the moment! There will be plenty of time for a battle tomorrow but for now, let's dance!" Hiccup and Astrid added playfully.

"Alright, tomorrow, it is," she sighed, sharing their playful smiles before she cried out, "Now, then... ¡VAMOS DE FIESTA!"

The cheers that followed were rapturous and everybody gathered at Uva Academy's schoolyard for the 4th of July reunion party continued to make the most out of their most rambunctious night yet. The celebrations continued well into the night with Lazuli even admitting to herself that she was beginning to enjoy it (since she was now starting to experience the joy and wonder that she had missed out on for the last twenty years of her life and it was a nice change of pace for after rediscovering the harsh truth that led her to become the person she is now).

Liko was also enjoying herself, and despite her continued concerns for Sprigatito and wanting to make it up to her, she allowed herself to let loose and have fun. She could only hope that she and Sprigatito would be on speaking terms again should they reunite with each other tomorrow.


Speaking of Sprigatito, the Grass Cat Pokémon was indeed spending the night with Alex and his Fidough as she slept on one of the sofas. With Alex, he was trying so hard to complete his painting but he ended up hitting a roadblock and sighed, feeling stuck on what he should do. That was until he gained a stroke of surprise inspiration when he saw Fidough approaching Sprigatito with a pillow on her.

He watched as Fidough dragged the pillow she got with her and joined Sprigatito on the couch she made as her bed. The spiffy yet spunky Paldea Grass Starter gave her a wary glare, not wanting anything to do with her given that she momentarily "stole" Liko from her when they first met earlier in the day. But, Fidough was undeterred as she pushed the pillow over to her and urged her to sniff it, which she did and recognized her partner's scent on it (realizing that the Paldea Puppy Pokémon brought it over from Liko's room).

Seeing them finally getting along with one another as they cuddled the pillow and huddled next to each other on it before going to sleep gave Alex the idea he was looking for as he finished his painting and turned the lights off before he went to bed, happy that he not only completed his painting but also saw a beautiful friendship stemming from his Liko's partners.


The following morning, on the 5th of July, the celebrations were over. Waking bright and early, Sarah, Race, and their Paldea friends took Lazuli out for a shopping trip in Levincia after dropping off Liko at the Brave Olivine to meet up with Roy, Dot, and the Rising Volt Tacklers again and tell them what she went through the previous night while making a plan to make amends with Sprigatito once more. True to what Ghost (Dragapult) said days ago, the royal family took the opportunity to help the former Explorer pick out new sets of clothes for her to wear since the only kind of clothing she had on her was her uniform which included her cloak and mask.

The former Explorer was flabbergasted by what she was seeing when she looked around the shops she was taken to (with Ortega leading the charge given how regal and well-dressed he is compared to his friends), and given that she knew nothing about fashion for the last twenty years of her life while working with the Explorers, she was experiencing a major bout of culture shock.

Eventually, after going through numerous shops and trying out various outfits (with everyone in the group giving their thoughts and opinions on what suits her best and what looks off on her), coupled with the former Explorer's opinion on the matter (once she finally had a say on the matter) and Ortega's guidance, they eventually settled on an outfit that consisted of white high top sneakers, printed trackwear gray tights, black fingerless mittens, a black and gold tracksuit from the Blueberry Academy, a white and yellow triangle backpack, and a black beanie to cover her head.

"...Okay, that was, intriguing," Lazuli admitted after Sarah, Nemona, Penny, Ortega, Arven, and Kieran paid for her outfit and the group left to grab a bite to eat, looking herself all over in her new outfit as she mused, "Hmm, not bad... You know, I, uh... I rather like it."

"We're glad you like it, Ms. Lazuli," smiled Penny, feeling happy for her while she looked at her Rotom Phone.

"You know you're gonna run into a wall or crash into someone riding a Cyclizar if you keep your eyes glued to your Rotom Phone, do ya, Penny?" quizzed Sarah as she looked to Paldea's tech wiz.

"I'll be fine, I know my way around while zipping about on my phone," Penny reassured playfully.

"So, while we're all together and we got time to kick off before Island Girl and I split, what have you been up to during the summer?" Race asked, curious as to what happened after they parted ways for summer vacation.

"Well, I've been hanging out with my Veevees or my friends after helping to fix the Pokémon League's security system. It works much better with what I helped the crew work on compared to how it performed before now that I think about it," Penny began.

"Tell me about it, the Star Training Centers took off in flying colors after we launched them. The students are flocking to them like crazy!" Mela informed.

"Indeed. But, since we're in the midst of summer, we decided to wind down a bit," Atticus concurred.

Nemona just smirked, "Not me! My Pokémon and I have been spending our summer battling everybody who crosses our path!"

"That's what you always do," Arven sighed before he smiled and looked at Sarah and Race. "Me, though? I've learned so much about Mom and Dad while continuing my research to become the world's best Pokémon Cook."

"Me and Sis? We're keeping ourselves busy and relaxed helping everybody at Blueberry Academy," Kieran added. "Hey, Sarah, what have you, Asha, and Race been up to? You must've had a ton of fun with your summer vacation, right?"

Sarah smiled as she said to their Paldea friends, "Funny you should say that, Kieran. While Sis was continuing her Island Challenge back home, Race and I were invited to become guest speakers at Indigo Academy in the Kanto Region and we met Liko and her Sprigatito when we got there days ago. Then, we all ended up crossing paths with the Rising Volt Tacklers and traveling with them while meeting Roy in the process. Since then, we've been helping them and their Partner Pokémon train, showing them the ropes to become true Pokémon Trainers."

As soon as she said this, the little princess looked up into the sky, wondering how Liko was getting on since they brought her back to the Brave Olivine and if she would make amends with Sprigatito before they continued on their journey.


Speaking of which, after Liko thought over everything Sarah told her and got the same tippets of advice from everyone in the airship including Dot with a drawing of her and Sprigatito (to help her reaffirm the fact that they are friends for life), she decided to return home and patch things up with Sprigatito while also getting something for her father as a gift. But, not without noticing Dot's Nidothing suit still drying out on the observation deck which left her surprised for a moment before she went on her way.

"Mollie, you've seen Liko around?" Friede puzzled as he joined Murdock and Mollie in the kitchen. having not seen Liko anywhere.

"She left earlier by herself," the traveling doctor replied after checking on the ship's coffee machine.

"She what, when are you gonna tell me?!" he barked, knowing that she could get herself in danger somehow and he had to be quick to find her.


With Alex, back at his and Liko's family home, he went back to his makeshift studio and the living to check on Sprigatito and Fidough after spending the night together only to see his partner present on the sofa.

"Hmm, where's Sprigatito?"

He then looked outside on the doorstep on the front lawn and he smiled, seeing the Paldea Grass Starter belonging to his daughter waiting patiently for her trainer to return. It seemed as though after finally finding common ground with Fidough, she decided to wait for Liko to return and patch things up with her.

"Oh, there you are," he mused sweetly. "She's waiting for you, Liko..."


On Liko's end, having heard about her dad running out of his favorite coffee beans and wanting to get something for Sprigatito, she returned to Mesagosa and got them another bag of his coffee beans and some matcha/green tea-flavored cake. With her gifts for them at hand, she then set off on the path leading back to Cabo Poco and her home to deliver them, hoping her dad and Sprigatito would like what she bought for them.

Unfortunately, her hopes for a peaceful return trip and a quick chance to make amends with her partner were dashed when she was confronted by a hungry Lechonk who sniffed out the coffee beans and matcha cake and prepared to attack to get what it wanted.

"Wha-No! This is mine! This is not for y-AH!" she denied, trying to hide the bag only for the hungry Hog Pokémon to lunge towards her before she slipped and dropped the bag, allowing the greedy Normal Type to grab it and make a break with it. "No, wait! You give that back!"

"Liko?!" gasped Sprigatito, sensing her partner's distress and the trouble she was in which prompted her to run off and find her before she could get badly hurt.


Not long after she went after Liko, however, Friede and his Charizard arrived, wondering if the young girl had already returned to Alex but not knowing of her short outing in Mesagosa and the trouble she's having with the wild Lechonk that stole his favorite coffee beans and Sprigatito's favorite sweets.

"Coming!" the artist called as he heard the doorbell and found Friede and his first partner before him. "Oh, hello Friede."

"Good morning, Alex."

Immediately, both adults realized something was wrong as none of them knew of Liko's whereabouts, "Uh, why isn't Liko here with you?"

"Wait, you mean she hasn't come back here yet?"


With Sprigatito, she ran across the path from Cabo Poco to Mesagosa and the Brave Olivine, hoping to find Liko and rescue her before she landed herself in even hotter water. She didn't know where her partner went but the Grass Cat Pokémon kept her eyes open as she looked about, hoping she was not too late to do something before anybody else found her and gave her trouble.

"Hey, stop! Give that bag back right now!" Liko screamed at the wild Lechonk as she continued chasing after it.

This annoyed the wild Hog Pokémon as it circled towards her and snorted, charging at her three times to try and knock her down. The first two times, she managed to dodge while staying on her feet but on the third try, she suddenly faltered after avoiding it and rolled back roughly before landing on her stomach. Liko was trapped as she soon noticed the wild Lechonk preparing to tackle her hard and leave her completely battered.

But, it never made contact with the human it had bested; at the eleventh hour, who should come to her rescue but Sprigatito? When all hope seemed lost, she appeared and bashed it back and made it let go of her partner's bag, landing on the ground and getting into a battle stance as the two Pokémon confronted each other.

"Back off!" Sprigatito snarled at the wild Lechonk.

"Sprigatito, you came for me!" Liko cried, relieved.

The wild Lechonk was furious about the unexpected intervention and at Sprigatito for making it lose its meal as it squealed angrily and readied itself for a real fight, leaving the Paldea Grass Starter with no choice but for her and Liko to fight their way out of this jam of theirs.

"Shall we?" she called to Liko, knowing what they must do.

Liko nodded, sharing Sprigatito's sentiments, "Right, you want to battle? Let's get it!"

"Let's!"

Lechonk made the first move of the fight as it used Agility and zigzagged its way toward them, making Liko recall her and Roy's first day of training with Sarah and Race as she observed the Hog Pokémon's movements, "It's moving so fast..."

"Hang on!" she informed, keeping a close eye on Lechonk before she eyed it slowing down as she pinpointed the wild Pokémon and issued her first attack to her partner. "Now, Sprigatito! Like before in our training battle with Roy, use Quick Attack!"

The timing was impeccable because, at that moment, when Sprigatito charged at Lechonk with Quick Attack, she was able to land a perfect hit and send it flying back away from them easily with a surprising amount of power. That did the trick as Quick Attack proved to be too much for the Hog Pokémon to bear and it immediately panicked, running back the way it came with its tail between its legs.

"Coward!" screeched Sprigatito, looking unimpressed.

"SPRIGATITO!" Liko screamed excitedly as the pair team reunited and shared a happy, loving embrace. "Sprigatito, I'm so sorry about yesterday. I had no idea you were so jealous of my dad's Fidough and you were scared of losing me. Forgive me?"

"…Frosty," Sprigatito meowed happily as they continued to hug, forgiving her partner and now understanding that she was worried about losing her over nothing.


With Friede and Alex, they continued to talk about Liko as the latter blinked in surprise, "Really? She went through all that after meeting Sarah and Race and before coming back to Paldea?"

"I'm always at a loss for words when it comes to Liko. And, even more so whenever she's with Doug and Delilah's daughter and her husband, really," Friede chuckled as they both chatted over coffee.

Alex was amazed and after thinking for a moment, he confessed to the unconventional professor, "You know what? I... It's possible that I haven't wanted to admit it to myself... That our Liko is growing so much faster than I expected, much more than I ever could've imagined she would."

"Dad," the girl in question called as she and Sprigatito returned home, the latter carrying the coffee bag she had dropped.

"Liko!"

"There you are."

"We're home," Sprigatito grinned as she still carried the coffee bag.

Alex was surprised but he was even more baffled to see his daughter in such a state (having not known about her and her partner's confrontation with the wild Lechonk on the way home), "Hey, you're dirty! What happened?"

"I'm sorry... I just, I had no idea how much you worried for me, about me going off on my own..."

"Liko, that's not something you need to apologize for. It's just-"

But, Liko wasn't finished as she pleaded to her father, "Please, Dad, listen..."

She then took a deep breath and began to speak to him from her heart, "You see, before all this happened, I started out feeling so unsure about myself. It's like what you said, Dad; back then, I didn't even know where I should be going or what I should be doing. But, then, when I started to learn at Indigo Academy, I met Sprigatito, and after that, I crossed paths with Race, Sarah, and all their Pokémon-their family. Then, I met the Rising Volt Tacklers as well as Sarah's adoptive grandparents and Roy; we started to live on the Brave Olivine together with Sarah, Race, and their family close by for company and going to places I've never even dreamed of."

As Liko spoke, she reflected on everything she went through and learned throughout her journey since the day she was given the pendant by her grandmother.

She then recalled everything her grandmother had told her and, with a look of determination, she finished, "And, after everything I went through, I finally understood the meaning in what Grandmother told me all those years ago...… I want to go with Sprigatito, Sarah, and Race, and I want to continue my journey with my friends. Please, Dad, can I go along with them?"

Alex was awestruck by what he had heard as he looked at his daughter and considered everything she told him. After a short moment of careful thinking, he smiled warmly, no longer seeing any reason to worry for his daughter and her well-being.

"Liko, I think I understand everything now. You have a thirst for adventure that very few people could match, eh?" he complimented warmly with a father's pride. "You got that from your grandmother and I'm sure she'll be most pleased to hear how far you've come in a short time should you meet with her again."

He then looked at Sprigatito as she climbed aboard her partner's right shoulder and meowed in agreement, smiling at her as well, "Sprigatito, you help Sarah and Race look after Liko, okay?"

"Yes, Sir," Sprigatito saluted.

"Thank you, Dad!" Liko smiled, having gotten her father's support and approval for the path she had chosen.

But, Friede was the proudest of all between them as he smiled with pride for the young girl, knowing she took the next step in her adventure and the first step to continuing on the path she wanted to take as he also congratulated her, "Good job, Liko."


And, the good turn of fortune didn't stop there; Dot's Nidothing suit was finally clean and it smelled fresh again, much to the delight of the young recluse and Quaxly as they immediately went to work on a video that covers the different natures of Pokémon and uploaded it to celebrate the occasion (which Liko watched with joy and intrigue as Friede and Alex helped themselves to more coffee from the coffee beans the young girl got for her father).

Sprigatito and Fidough were also given hearty meals as they ate away in peace, and satisfied with the coffee he drank, Alex couldn't help but smile at his daughter for the gift she had given him as he thanked her for her act of kindness, "Ahh, I love that aroma. It's perfect, Liko, thanks."

Liko nodded back knowingly but Alex wasn't finished yet as he also had another favor for her, turning to a stack of picture books he had on hand for Roy, "Oh, yeah. And, those picture books over there, could you give them to Roy for me?"

"Really? That whole stack of books, but why?" puzzled Liko, surprised by the number of picture books her father wanted to give to her energetic friend as she looked at the stack.

"Well, he was saying he really liked my picture books."

"That's so nice of you, Dad! Roy will be over the moon with all those books on him!"

"So, this Pokémon that Roy's looking for..." Alex then inquired to Friede, curious about the Pokémon Roy mentioned at some point the previous day.

Friede confirmed his thoughts as he replied, "Yes, and according to Sarah and Race, a Shiny Rayquaza with a Terastallized body or something; we heard rumors that there may have been some sightings of it in Paldea."

"Well, I've drawn Rayquaza in my picture books before and now but I've never actually seen it... Now, wait a second! Come to think of it, there is an artist in Artazon named 'Brassius' who claimed to have seen some very rare Pokémon."

"Like, how rare are we talking about, Dad?"

"Well, maybe rare enough to be this Shiny Rayquaza you've all looking for."

Liko and Friede were delighted as they confided in each other, "Friede, what do you think?"

"Right! Sounds like our next stop is Artazon; we'd best let Sarah know, I'm sure she and Race's Paldea friends and her family can lend a hand in all this. They do have a habit of attracting such rare and exotic Pokémon themselves."

"Of course, yeah!" Then, Liko noticed a new painting her father made and gasped in awe, "Wow!"

"You like it, Liko? Your Partner Pokémon inspired me to make it and it turned out beautifully," Alex grinned, getting a happy nod from her daughter.

All too soon, it was time for Liko and Sprigatito to leave with Friede and Charizard and return to Sarah, Race, and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers to tell them of their lead into the Terastal Shiny Rayquaza. With that and the picture books the two and their Partner Pokémon picked up for Roy, they said goodbye to Fidough and Alex as they made their way back to the Brave Olivine.

As they left, Alex looked back at the new painting he had finished, showing Sprigatito and Fidough curled up together while they slept amid a starry galactic sky. It was clear to the Pokémon picture book artist that his daughter was in good hands and was now on a path she wanted to take and loved going on, and at the rate she was going along her journey with all her friends, nothing is impossible so long as she doesn't stop believing in herself and he with her.

To Be Continued…