Liko - Our quest to unlock the secrets of my pendant has taken us to the Galar Region where my grandma is living in some ancient castle somewhere in the region. So much has happened up to this point but maybe we'll finally get some answers. Just as I'm thinking about everything, there it is: the Galar Region...
July 12th came in as the Rising Volt Tacklers, Sarah, her family, and her friends finally arrived at the Galar Region to find Liko's grandmother, Diana, and get some answers regarding the pendant she had given to her granddaughter as well as Lucius and the Six Heroes. Currently, they were making their way to Motostoke, the home of Galar's Fire Type gym leader: Kabu, to land and park the Dragon Craft and the Brave Olivine. Liko and Roy, who were watching from the Brave Olivine's observation deck along with Sprigatito and Fuecoco, could hardly believe their eyes as they took in the sights and sounds of the industrial city that specialized in steam-powered modern engineering.
"Wow, check out those big machines there! And, all those gears!"
"They're massive!" Roy and Fuecoco marveled.
"Is that steam coming out of those vents?" Liko pondered as she saw steam coming from the machines operating in the city.
"Yep, sure is. Those steam machines are the heart of Motostoke," Friede confirmed as he, Cap, Murdock, Alcremie, Rockruff, Sarah, Blitz, and her two Terapagos joined the young trainers and their partners with Friede having some coffee.
"Big steam power's the rave here!" grinned Cap in agreement.
"You two and Sarah want some coffee?" the friendly cook offered as he poured a few cups for the trio in mind.
Liko and Roy were obviously nervous as they told him, "Uh... S-Sure, thank you, Murdock."
"I want to try but coffee's, like, super bitter."
Murdock grinned at them as he said, "I had a feeling you'd say that."
He looked at Alcremie and she grinned back, adding her whipped cream to the cups as she cheered, "Show me whipped cream~!"
Liko and Roy were astounded by this as they took up their cups and Sarah took her own with a knowing smile as the friendly cook informed proudly, "Good thing Whipped Cream Coffee is a Murdock Specialty."
"That's the thing with Murdock; he's always versatile with everything he's got and he knows how to make anything work with the help of Alcremie," Sarah chuckled as she took a sip of her Whipped Cream Coffee. "I'll admit; Race and I were surprised when we first tried it out and now it's become a favorite drink for us, our friends, and our family from him and Alcremie."
Even Dot couldn't help but be impressed with her uncle's twist on coffee as she drank from her own cup while she was out with them and surfing the internet on her Rotom Phone, having just recently washed her Nidothing suit, "It's so sweet..."
"It's not too much for you, is it?" Murdock asked his niece, having heard her speak.
"Didn't say that," she replied quietly, not wanting her uncle to get the wrong idea.
Liko and Roy then took sips from their cups and even they were delighted by the change of taste thanks to Alcremie's whipped cream (with Liko sharing her coffee with Sprigatito and Fuecoco staring at Roy's cup in delight) as Roy said, "You're not kidding, it's so sweet and so tasty!"
"Glad you liked it! Alcremie's whipped cream is as sweet as it gets!"
"It's my pride and joy of baking and cooking!" Alcremie declared happily, feeling proud of her whipped cream.
"Alright, time to get ready," Friede declared, taking everybody gathered by surprise.
"Get ready?"
"Get ready for what?" puzzled Liko and Roy.
"Well, we're traveling the rest of the way by land through Motostoke," the unconventional professor said before he stopped and quizzed everyone gathered after a moment, "...I did tell you about that, didn't I?"
The only response he got from Roy, Liko, and Murdock was, "NO, YOU DIDN'T!"
With Sarah and Blitz, though, their responses were as follows, "YOU MORON/FRIEDE, YOU IDIOT!"
(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)
As everybody pulled into the outskirts of Motostoke where they could land the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft, Friede told those who weren't in the know, "The Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft stick out like sore thumbs. If we just fly over to our intended destination which is Hammerlocke, the Explorers will spot us as we'll be leading them right to Liko's grandmother, and that in itself would be bad news. So, we're gonna set our ships down here and then travel by train from Motostoke to Hammerlocke. There's a lot of factories in that area."
Roy grinned as he told Friede, "So, then, let's hustle and get to the train!"
However, Friede grimaced as he checked the conditions of the Galar Region's trains and found a piece of news about them he didn't want to hear, "Uh, yeah, about that... We might have one little problem, turns out today's Maintenance Day and the trains aren't running."
Liko and Roy were dismayed by the news but this made Orla's day as she barged in and ecstatically declared, "In that case, I'm going into the city to find spare parts for the ship! Motostoke's shops are filled with all kinds of gizmos and what-nots! SEE YA LATER!"
With that, she and Metagross made their way to Motostoke to go on a shopping spree while Liko, Roy, Cap, and Friede just stared, leaving the young girl to quip, "And, she's gone."
"You two should just do whatever you feel like doing, then," Friede smiled, deciding to give the pair the day off before they could depart for Hammerlocke in due time.
Of course, Liko felt another mental hurdle coming her way as she didn't know what to do in the Galar Region before coming with the Rising Volt Tacklers along with Sarah, her family, and her friends, "Hmm, what can we do? I mean, I've never been here before so..."
Before she could think of what to do, she soon noticed Sarah, her family, Lazuli, Race, and their friends leaving the Dragon Craft to make their way to Wedgehurst despite the trains not running.
"Sarah, Lazuli, Race?" she peeped, making Roy, Cap, and Friede turn to the group before them.
"Where are you all going? We're supposed to go to Hammerlocke once the trains are running again tomorrow," puzzled Friede, unsure of what they were doing.
"We're going to visit Wedgehurst first. We're supposed to meet up with Professor Magnolia, the region's top research expert in the Dynamax Phenomenon, at her lab after I contacted her yesterday and told her we'd meet her and my friends from Postwick Town the moment we landed," Sarah replied.
"Wow! A Pokémon Professor from this region?! Awesome! Can we come with you and meet your friends, too? Can we, can we?!" Roy begged excitedly as his eyes twinkled.
"Sure, why not? They and Professor Magnolia wouldn't mind the extra company if you and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers want to join us before you decide to explore Motostoke. Hammerlocke's not going anywhere and we're a long way from the Explorers at this point. They won't find the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft out here no matter how hard they looked."
Liko and Roy grinned at this while Friede and Cap just smirked, feeling that they were going to have the time of their lives going with Sarah and her party to Wedgehurst to see her Galar friends and Professor Magnolia.
A little later, Roy and Liko found themselves in the small but humble town of Postwick which is the group's first stop on the way to Professor Magnolia's laboratory in Wedgehurst. The reason why the two, Fuecoco, and Sprigatito were brought there first was so they could meet Leon, Hop, Gloria, and Victor as well as Sonia and her grandmother (should they be visiting them depending on the circumstances at hand for all of them).
"So, this is Postwick Town," Liko noted, taking in Postwick's simple yet elegant farmland beauty.
"My friends in Galar like it here a lot, very modest and humble given the farmland present here; it's not a very crowded place but it's peaceful and quiet," Sarah smiled.
"I thought a Pokémon Champion and a Pokémon Monarch are supposed to live in big mansions and estates given how famous they are, not like this. I mean, this is awesome! I didn't they'd live here of all places along with those other friends you told us about," Roy replied, amazed as he looked around Postwick's farmland setting and feeling a little nostalgic as it reminded him of his island abode.
"Well, for as long as I've known Gloria, Hop, Victor, and Leon, they're not the type of people to toot their own horns over their accomplishments simultaneously. Leon and Gloria may be the Pokémon Monarch and the Galar Champion but they, Hop, and Victor never let fame and fortune get to their heads given what it nearly cost everyone in the entire region with the Dynamax Incident involving Eternatus a few years ago."
"I still can't believe you managed to drag me back here into this death trap, pipsqueak. Why did you have to make me agree with you through your stupid loopholes, anyway?" Eternatus grumbled as he hovered above everyone, not feeling as enthusiastic as the rest of the Galar Pokémon under his owner's wing to be back.
"I promised Prof. Magnolia I'd have her see how you've been getting on since I brought you to Alola every time we come back for a reason or two. You know you can still be a loose cannon at times so I need to make sure you won't lose your head and go Darkest Day on us and everyone in all of Galar again as you did when Rose went bananas on you. If you do blow up on us, I'm not going to let the Macro Cosmos board of directors take you away from me and seal you underground," Sarah chastised him with a mother's tough love.
"You should also have some sort of sentimentality beyond that Darkest Day crap, Grumpy. Besides, this is home to Island Girl's Galar Pokémon, especially to Zacian and Zamazenta. Just man up and have fun with it while we're here," Race concurred.
Eternatus grumbled to himself as Arven asked Sarah, "Has he...always been like that?"
"He's been a cynical pessimist since he was brought into my family given his rough history with Galar but my time with him and his new life in Alola have helped Eternatus to soften up quite a bit. Even so, I still love him as my own and that will never change after everything we went through together," Sarah nodded as they arrived at Victor's house and she knocked on the door, seeing his mother answer.
"Oh, Sarah! What a surprise; I knew you would be returning to Galar for a visit when you called Professor Magnolia and she extended the message to Victor and his friends but I didn't think it'd be so soon. Ooh, and it looks like you have company, too," smiled Victor's mother.
"Yeah, my family's with both me and my classmates from Paldea's Uva and Blueberry Academies are on a journey together with some new friends of ours. Are Victor, Hop, Gloria, and the others around here or at Professor Magnolia's laboratory?"
"Funny you say that; they went to Magnolia's lab at Wedgehurst an hour before you arrived at Motostoke this morning. They and Leon asked me to tell you that they, Magnolia, and her granddaughter have a surprise waiting for you there at their reunion party. I don't know what they have in mind exactly but it's something I think you and your family and friends here will greatly enjoy."
The others, Liko, and Roy muttered to themselves and each other in surprise, all wondering what the surprise Sarah's Galar friends had in store for them at Prof. Magnolia's lab was.
Deciding to take her word for it, the group made their way to Wedgehurst (allowing Sarah, Asha, and Race's classmates, Liko, Roy, and their partners to continue taking in the sights and sounds of a town far different from that of Paldea's towns and cities such as Cabo Poco and Levincia) where they finally came across Magnolia's laboratory (which was the sight of the reunion party with the princess' Galar friends).
"Well, there it is."
"Welcome to Magnolia's laboratory," Asha and Race informed.
"So, this is Professor Magnolia's lab."
"Looks pretty cozy for a small countryside town research facility, cómodo también," Penny and Nemona commented, impressed.
Sarah knocked on the door, wondering if Magnolia and Sonia were home as she called, "Professor! Sonia! Are you in there? We're here!"
"She's not answering," Roy blinked in surprise.
"Maybe she's doing fieldwork on the Dynamax Phenomenon right now," Liko suggested.
"After I called her and the others to let her know we'd be coming to see them again upon arriving? She can't be," the little princess rebutted as she decided to open the door until...
The door opened as she turned the knob and gently pushed it, surprising everybody and prompting Carmine to note, "Uh-oh, it looks like the professor or Sonia forgot to lock the door."
"Hey, you're right, Sis! Maybe they're still home doing some research here and getting help from Leon, Hop, and their friends as we speak," Kieran concurred curiously.
"But, Victor's mom told us they have the reunion party for Sarah and her family here an hour before we arrived in Postwick Town and Wedgehurst, didn't she?" reminded Lacey.
"If they are in the lab, I think we should go in and see them. If they're not doing research, they've probably set up the reunion party she mentioned somewhere inside the building," Atticus said, knowing what they should do next.
"Good idea," Race nodded as they carefully entered until they noticed that the interior of the building was pitch black save for the light coming from outside. "That's weird, there's no light in this place."
"Strange... Professor, Leon! Sonia! Victor, Gloria, Hop, we made it! My family and I along with my, Asha, and Race's classmates from the Paldea Region are here, where are you guys?" Sarah shouted, wondering what happened to her Galar friends along with Leon, Sonia, and Professor Magnolia.
Suddenly, as soon as they were all inside with the larger Pokémon staying outside, the lights were flicked on, and then...
"ALOLA SURPRISE/**ALOLA SURPRISE**!"
Sarah, her family, and her friends all screamed in surprise and bewilderment until they saw that the ones responsible for surprising them were none other than Prof. Magnolia and her Alolan Ninetales, Leon and his Charizard, Sonia and her Yamper, Gloria and her Inteleon, Victor and his Cinderace, and Hop and his Rillaboom in a storm of confetti and streamers from party poppers and the sounds of party horns blaring as they were being blown. But, they weren't the only ones in the lab to surprise them as they were joined by Growlithe, Rockruff, Tom and his friends, Rotom-Dex, Ash and his Alola Team along with his new friend: Goh, Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, Sophocles, Lillie, Gladion, Lusamine, Mohn, and Professors Kukui and Burnet with their newborn son (and Ash's honorary little brother in their family): Lei.
"Professor Magnolia/Ms. Sonia!" Delilah and Doug blurted out as they then smiled.
"Victor, Gloria/Sir Hop!" cried Race and Tsukumaro, smiling in astonishment.
"Leon!" Asha grinned as the Viking Teens cheered at the sight of their Alola friends with the six people in question and their Pokémon.
But, Sarah was flabbergasted and stunned to see her old classmates and their Partner Pokémon once more, but this time, with two new additions in the form of Lei and Goh as she and Blitz immediately ran up to them.
"Ash, Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, Sophocles, Lillie, Gladion!" she screamed ecstatically before they shared hugs and high-fives with them the moment they came together, prompting some of her Pokémon to join them and greet their old friends with overwhelming excitement.
"Hi, Sarah!"
"You surprised to see us again?"
"It's been so long!" Ash, Kiawe, and Lana laughed heartily.
"We missed you!"
"You're looking great!"
"More than great, you and your family look terrific!" added an equally excited Mallow, Sophocles, and Lillie.
"I love you guys!" the little princess grinned broadly at them as she and Race's dragonets also joined them.
"AUNTIES, UNCLES, YAAAAAAAAAY!" they cheered as they cuddled with them and their Partner Pokémon. Even the Junior Patrollers (the Poms more so) were overjoyed to see their human owner's old friends and their human aunts and uncles as they joined in and screamed, "DOGPILE!"
"Ugh! Just my luck, those Alola bodyguard pipsqueaks...AGAIN," Eterantus griped to himself once more before turning away in a huff.
"Lighten up, you old grump, it's a party," grinned Freezeon.
Guardeon chuckled in agreement as he quipped to the former Darkest Day who continued to groan, "Yes, Eternatus. Even though you're over 3000 years old at this point have some fun while you're still young."
"Hey, Uncle Ash, guys! It's great to see you!"
"Whoa, you're all looking brighter and better today!"
"Now, this is a party!"
"You said it, Blitzy!"
"Fun, fun, fun with old friends! YIPPEE!"
"Children, how nice to see you once more!"
"You've caught us all by surprise!" Dusk, Luna, Blitz, Curly, Mew, Cobalt, and Tai Lung grinned at their family's old friends.
"You all came!" Sarah breathed as she met up with Kukui, Burnet, and Lei.
"Of course we did, you didn't think our own adventures following our time together could get rid of us that easily, did you?" Kukui smirked knowingly.
"We figured you'd be surprised by all of us coming together for the occasion. Welcome back to Galar, Sarah, you and your family. And, we extend the welcome to your new friends as well," Leon chuckled as he and his Charizard joined them along with the Postwick Trio who gave off mischievous giggles with Petunia babbling happily and landing herself in Lillie's arms, excited to see her human mother's old classmates from Principal Oak's Pokémon School again.
Sarah ran a hand through her hair as she looked at all of her Alolan friends and Ash and admitted, "Sure wasn't expecting you all to be here ever since our Christmas party with the Dino Fury team at Pine Ridge last year, gang."
"Magnolia and her granddaughter told us all right away after you called yesterday and we figured we'd flock on over to join in on the reunion if you'd have time for us."
"We managed to get everyone else down here faster than a Quick Attack with a burst of Agility thanks to the new teleportation system built into their Wrist Coms the Aether Foundation completed. This allowed us to join them and meet you and your new friends all at once," Burnet and Kukui smiled warmly.
"It was worth it, especially since we get to see what you've been up to as of late," Mallow grinned in agreement just as her female Shaymin (back in her Land Forme) appeared from her hair.
"Hi, Big Bro! I'm back!" chirped Shaymin to Seth.
"Sissy!" Seth cried in amazed delight as he jumped onto Sarah's head to see her.
Sarah had to smile as she remembered, "Oh, yeah. You told me about that; Shaymin left earlier to go on a previous flower-bearing migration, right?"
"Yep, and now that she's done, she's back with me, Tsareena, and our family again!"
Liko and Roy as well as the little princess, Race, and Asha's Paldea classmates and their partners were settling in well with their old friends as they shared introductions (with Fuecoco already enamored by Kiawe's Fire Types and Ash's Incineroar). But, the young girl was amazed when she saw Mallow's Shaymin and she and Sprigatito came over with the latter beginning to hit it off with Tsareena once the Fruit Pokémon noticed her.
"Wow! You have a Shaymin, too?" Liko breathed, seeing Mallow's Gratitude Pokémon.
Mallow just grinned as she introduced herself and Tsareena, "Yep, as well as a little sister to Sarah's Shaymin, Seth; she's a real cutie and she's been a big help in my family restaurant in Alola once you get to know her. My name's Mallow and with me is my partner: Tsareena."
"Mm-hmm, I'm Liko. And, this here is my partner: Sprigatito."
"Hi!"
"How do you do?" Sprigatito and Tsareena greeted warmly to their respective trainers.
As he watched from where he was, after introducing himself and his partners: Cinderace, Inteleon, and Grooky, Goh couldn't help but question Ash as he whispered, "Hey, Ash, who's the girl with the massive clusters of Pokémon on her?"
Ash just smiled at his fellow trainer (who was his research buddy at the Cerise Laboratory in Vermillion City) as he told him, "She's Sarah Tomoe; she's the Sun Princess of Alola and she and her family are the last members of the Alolan Royal Hierarchy that was thought to be abolished years ago."
The little princess soon noticed the confused Mew Seeker (given that Goh's primary objective as the trainer he is as of now is to find Mew) and came up to meet him with Blitz riding on her shoulder this time (since Seth decided to stay with his sister so they can catch each other up on what's happening), allowing her co-champion to finally (and formally) introduce him to her, "This guy's Goh; he's my research buddy for the Cerise Laboratory and he's hoping to find Mew as a member of the new Project Mew team."
Sarah (deciding to keep Goh in the dark about Mew being in her possession) smiled and nodded at Goh as she greeted, "Goh."
"Uh, hello," Goh replied, blushing as he shook Sarah's hand while Ash chuckled.
Everybody was enjoying themselves enormously, but then, the doorbell rang and everyone turned to the front door, prompting Magnolia to ask, "Yes, who is it?"
The door opened, and much to the surprise of the Galar Professor herself, Sonia, Leon, Goh, and the Postwick Trio, Mr. Hu and Mistral entered the laboratory and joined up with their star pupil. Ash and the Pokémon School Gang, however, were delighted to see the two Zodiac again, all of them having a feeling that they decided to tag along with Sarah and her family for one reason or another.
"Ah, yes... Mr. Ash, Ms. Mallow, children, good day."
"How lovely to see you again," they greeted the trainers in question.
"Hey, Mistral, Mr. Hu!"
"Hi there!" Ash and Pikachu grinned.
"Hey there, Mr. Hu."
"Hi, Mistral, glad you could come as well!"
"You're looking great!" Kiawe, Mallow, and Lana smiled in response as Lillie and Sophocles nodded happily in agreement.
No sooner did Mr. Hu and Mistral arrive to join in on the reunion party than the Terapagos Three decided to make themselves known, curiously looking at their human parents and their friends as they cooed and cheerfully reached out to them (as they were in their arms at this time). What shocked their old friends the most, however (despite being happy to see their first two Terapagos again), is the sight of the third Terapagos from Area Zero.
"No way!"
"Is that another Terapagos you told us about?!"
"For real?"
"Are you serious?!" Lana, Sophocles, Lillie, and Mallow spluttered in shock as the third Terapagos cooed at them.
Goh, on the other hand, could hardly contain his shock at the sight of the three Tera Pokémon as he cried, "Wh-no! What are they? Are they some kind of new Pokémon, ones I've never seen before?!"
"Goh, say hello to my and Race's Tera Pokémon: the Terapagos Three," Sarah smiled, making the Terapagos Three coo at him and his equally shocked partners cry on in bewilderment as their eyes bugged out.
"I never would've imagined there would be a third Terapagos in your hands before now!"
"That's amazing, especially since you and Race originally had two of them!" Kukui and Burnet admitted in awe as they and Lei joined them, their son cooing curiously at the Terapagos Three as his eyes widened at them.
"We were as surprised as you were when we, Kieran, Carmine, and their teacher: Ms. Blair, investigated Area Zero and came across Island Girl's second Terapagos. Kieran thought he could try to catch it so he'd compensate for not being a match for my wife but it didn't quite go as well as he hoped so we were forced to come to his rescue after it broke from his Master Ball," Race replied.
"Oh, wow! I gotta catch 'em!" Goh grinned excitedly as he prepared a Pokeball.
Just as he raised his ball, however, Nyasi quickly stopped him as he warned, "I wouldn't touch them if I were you, kid."
"Apologies, Young Man, but it's important for you to know that those Terapagos are officially in the princess and her husband's custody. And, what's more, we've only recently discovered that they're an essential part of Paldea's Pokémon culture," Xena added as he joined in.
Goh was surprised as he asked, "Why not?"
"We've only recently found out that the Terapagos Three are responsible for the Paldea Region's Terastral Phenomenon as exemplified by the power of the Tera Orbs used in Pokémon battles in the region," Sarah informed as she and Rave brought out their Tera Orbs. "And, there's still a lot we don't know about them yet since they are a fundamentally extinct species. I'm sorry, Goh, but until something is done about it on my end, they're officially off-limits."
"And, in case you get any ideas, they're untouchable as well," Race informed, pointing Goh towards his and his wife's Paradox Pokémon (who were mingling with Sonia's Yamper, Leon's Charizard, and the Postwick Trio's Partner Pokémon) leaving his and Sarah's Alola and Galar friends and Ash gasping in awe and Goh in shocked fright at the sight of them.
"Wow..."
"What are they?"
"Or, who are they?" Lana, Kiawe, and Sophocles breathed in amazement as Race gently rubbed Miraidon and Athiusa's heads.
"Guys, everyone, meet my and Race's Paradox Pokémon from Area Zero save Link and Zelda: their siblings/descendants - Iron Crown and Iron Boulder, Raikou, Entei, Vulcan, and Sabre's Ancestors - Raging Bolt and Gouging Fire, and the distant ancestor and descendant of Paldea's Cyclizar from my end - Koraidon and my female Miraidon: Serpent."
"And, on my end in that regard - Miraidon and my female Koridon: Athiusa."
"Amazing! What a discovery you've managed to Dig up, more Paradox Pokémon that are out of this world!" Kukui chirped in fascination at the sight of the other Paradox Pokémon.
"A real-live robotic Cobalion and Terrakion!" Lana squealed in amazement, her eyes twinkling at the sight of Iron Crown and Iron Boulder.
"Geez, Sarah, you just don't stop with all the surprises you keep throwing at us," Victor quipped.
"I guess luck always has a hand in you finding the most unusual and amazing Pokemon wherever you go, mate," Gloria chuckled.
Sarah just shrugged in response, unsure of how to deny it given her pension for getting into trouble at times and being rewarded for her inquisitive mind and cat's curiosity into some of the world's craziest mysteries and such.
"Well, you've definitely been working on your side project and such from what we can tell but it's good to know that you're keeping yourself busy even after graduating from Principal Oak's Pokémon School," chuckled Burnet as Lei cooed cutely in her arms, finally getting her attention.
"Oh, hey...! How cute," the little princess noted as she gently prodded Lei and he cooed while giggling at her touch, reaching out and trying to grab her pointer.
"That's Prof. Kukui and Prof. Burnet's baby and my honorary little brother, Lei. Last time I went back to Alola and brought Goh with me to see the others again and I met up with them, I've been dubbed his honorary big brother," Ash grinned proudly, recalling his first meeting with Lei.
"Big brother, for real?" she blinked in surprise before she looked at Burnet.
Burnet giggled in agreement and confirmation as she then said, "He's right, big sister."
"Whoa... Big sister, me?" Sarah began as she smiled warmly at Lei and he began to pat her face playfully.
"Lei, now-now..."
"Aww!"
"He's sweet!"
"So cute!" cooed Tot, Nano, and Mimi as they stood on top of each other to look at Burnet and Kukui's son.
"Congrats, fellas," Liberty congratulated.
"YAAAAAAY! New friends, new Galar and Alola friends, poi!" Ogerpon chirped excitedly as she happily bounced around Sarah's old friends as well as her old teacher and his wife and newborn son.
"Whoa! Another new Pokémon!"
"But, who's that one?" Ash and Goh blinked in surprise, obviously having no clue who she was.
"I can answer that, my young friends. This right here is Ogerpon, my partner and most trusted friend after Absol and my old traveling companion two years ago before I crossed paths with the princess, her family, and all of you. Forgive her for her energy, Young Ash, she has heard so much about you and the rest of your group and she loved to see new faces such as yours after she was ostracized by the citizens of her former home beforehand," Tsukumaro informed as he came up alongside Ogerpon who came up to the wizard's right side before he gently patted her head.
"Your partner after Absol?!" echoed Ash and the Pokémon School Gang in shock at the revelation while Ogerpon danced happily in confirmation.
All the while, Sarah's attention was on Lei as she, the Poms, the Buddies, and Liberty continued to smile at the baby boy while he cooed curiously at them before they were joined seconds later by the dragonets as they fluttered over to him and his parents.
"Aww, look at him!"
"He's so adorable!"
"Totally!"
"Cool baby, dude and dudette!" Rosebud, B-Dawg, Budderball, and Mudbud congratulated happily for Kukui and Burnet.
"Many blessings to you and your baby boy, Mr. Kukui, Mrs. Burnet," Buddha praised as he bowed to the married couple.
"Thanks, your praise and congratulations are well put. We couldn't be happier for our little boy," Kukui grinned with a father's pride.
The dragonets fluttered closer to Lei who could only coo curiously and smile at them (the newborn baby obviously being too young to know they were dragons at all) as Aloe and Macaw chirped and whispered, "He's so small..."
"But, he sure is cute!"
"He's perfect; you should be happy for him," Sarah grinned happily for Burnet and Kukui.
"I'm sure we and Lei very much appreciate your thoughts on him and our little family, all of you," Burnet thanked them with a mother's pride.
"That's so sweet, Prof. Burnet and Prof. Kukui made Sarah their son's honorary sister... Makes me wish I could be a big sister someday if Mom had another baby," Liko thought, smiling warmly at how well Lei was gelling with the little princess.
Doug and Delilah also came over to see Lei once they saw him with Kukui and Burnet and even they gave their approval to their newborn son, "He's so healthy and a lively spirit for one so young. He's just perfect, my friends."
"My husband and I couldn't agree more."
But, it wasn't long before Gladion came over to them with his Silvally, Lycanroc, and Umbreon by his side and asked the royal couple, "We're all glad to see you again but would you mind telling us about these Explorers that had been giving you trouble as of late?"
This was not what Sarah and Race wanted to hear as they froze at his question, unsure of how to answer him. Even Lazuli (who was mingling nicely with everyone around her after she got herself comfortable with so many new faces all at once) couldn't help but feel her blood run cold by how straightforward Gladion was in how he knew about the Explorers. Not even Roy and Liko could believe their ears as the young adventurer came over to join his friends and jump in on the conversation.
"How did you know about the Explorers, Mr...?" Roy inquired.
"Gladion. And, as for how we knew about these new foes of yours, a certain NightWing Seer saw her charge through the power to see into the future and clued us in on what's been going on with her and her family."
It didn't take the little princess long to find out who was responsible for involving her old friends in her and her family's latest mess as she groaned with an exasperated facepalm, "Reader...!"
Race frowned in agreement as he sighed, deciding to let everyone else in on the whole debacle involving the Explorers, "Well, I was hoping we'd avoid mentioning them to you so you wouldn't have to get involved in this mess. But, it's out of the bag now..."
Sarah nodded and allowed him to speak up first, "There's a new Pokemon syndicate that's more dangerous compared to Team Rocket and Team Eclipse that had been hounding us and our friends, the Rising Volt Tacklers, in one way or another called the Explorers. As far as we know, they're on the hunt for our Terapagos and a Shiny Rayquaza that had a Terastalized body, the latter of which appeared a few days ago while we were on an island that's home to one of our new friends, Roy, during a fight with one of its admins: Amethio and his Ceruledge."
"A legend from a picture book written by Liko's dad, Alex, told us that it was one of a team of six belonging to a man from a century ago, an Ancient Adventurer by the name of Lucius. After it was released from an Ancient Pokeball that belonged to Roy, it left to roam the world and we had no idea where it went off. What's more, along with the Terastalized Shiny Rayquaza, the other five Pokémon belonging to Lucius were scattered around the world since their time with him until we ended up finding one of them, Arboliva, in Paldea before we came back here," Sarah continued.
The royal couple looked at the Terapagos Three as they mingled with the rest of the Pokémon School Gang's Partner Pokémon while Race continued to explain, "They wanted to take not just our Terapagos but also another one in its dormant form belonging to Liko as it was given to her by her grandmother when she was a kid. For what, we don't know..."
"Who's the lady with the sword there?" Lana questioned, directing her two royal friends to Lazuli who squirmed nervously, prompting Galaxagus and Pantherra to come over and comfort her.
"That's Lazuli Himura, she's the Explorers' former top agent who was made into a child soldier by them twenty years ago against her will."
"A child soldier?!"
"Against her will?"
"She was indoctrinated?"
"Those monsters!"
"How could they?"
"They're horrible!"
"Those bastards..." the gang, Ash, and Gladion gasped in utter shock.
"The Explorers were after Lazuli because her parents were Zodiac as was the case with Mr. Hu and Mistral but of the Unicorn and the Nemean Lion. When they found out about this, they killed them when she was five, and another agent belonging to them, Spinel, wiped her memory clean with his Beeheyem so they could make use of her should they tap into a power she might've gotten from them. In addition, she has a Unicorn Palisman on her that belonged to her mother named Stardust," Sarah said next, directing her old friends and the married professors to Stardust (in her Live Form) who was playing with Sonia's Yamper, Casper, and Mittens.
Lazuli did her best to hold her tears as her eyes started to water, going over to her Palisman and allowing Stardust to come over and sense her sadness to offer her comfort. But, she wasn't the only one to take note of the swordswoman's lingering pain over the loss of her parents, especially her mother concerning her Palisman in her possession, as Snowy and Primarina came over to gently nuzzle her (since they saw how hard she tried not to cry).
"I'm afraid this was partially my fault; they wanted her powers as a Zodiac from within her for their own gain and they killed her parents - my and Mistral's predecessors who were also the child's late mother and father: Seiya and Mistral. I was with them and I did nothing more to protect them before the Explorers killed them in cold blood before my and their daughter's eyes," Mr. Hu admitted shamefully, bowing in admission.
"Oh, dear..."
"No way!"
"How awful!"
"Bloody hell..."
"Oh, great Galar," Burnet, Ash, Lillie, Victor, and Gloria breathed in horror.
"I wouldn't worry too much; after tailing them from the shadows in Paldea, I only told them how the royal and her hubby got the third Terapagos and the other two with them. Unfortunately, they nearly got themselves killed after they jumped in to save the kids from Amethio and his Ceruledge when he had them and their pets on the ropes..."
Burnet and Kukui were stunned and they glared at Sarah and Race over the fact that they had to reveal their ranger alter-egos to their new enemies to protect Liko, Roy, Fuecoco, and Sprigatito with Kukui going, "Which forced them to break the most important rule of the Power Rangers to keep Amethio from hurting them badly, no doubt."
The royal couple flinched under their glares but Liko and Roy frantically jumped in as they reassured the married professors, "W-Wait, Professors, please! I-I-It wasn't their fault, honest! Amethio forced them to reveal their identities so they could protect us!"
"Yeah! They didn't have a choice! We were in over our heads fighting Amethio and his Ceruledge even though we managed to get a hit on his partner! But, we promised to keep their identities a secret after they told us everything! We did!"
"As did we, for their sake," Arven agreed as he and the rest of the Paldea group came over and nodded.
Kukui sighed as he held his face but he regained his composure and gave the royal couple a warning look as he replied, "Well, from what you've told us about the Explorers already and with what Reader informed from her visions, I suppose this was bound to happen sooner or later. We didn't expect it to happen in such a way that would force them to willingly put themselves in danger like that."
"As long as they don't reveal their identities to anyone else, I suppose we can let this slide and ensure that it doesn't happen again," Burnet added, sharing her husband's sentiments.
"...Everyone, forgive me. It was my fault for throwing them to the lions as I did through my eavesdropping. I drew all of the fire from the Explorers to them when I told them about the Terapagos, and now, they're put in the most precarious position they're now in," Lazuli apologized, remorseful for her previous deeds.
"Hey, you had no idea this would happen. It was a hard call but we'll help you, we are her original bodyguards, after all," Sophocles reassured.
"Right, and since you can't become the Solgaleo Ranger anymore until your old powers are restored, you'll need us more than ever to get you out of a jam," Ash grinned knowingly at Sarah.
"Count on it!"
"Whenever you and Lazuli need us, just call," Kiawe and Mallow put in with Lana and Lillie nodding in agreement.
"Granted, we still have our normal lives and our own journeys to consider but we're all united by our friendship and our connections with each other through our hearts and the Morphin Grid."
"All for one and one for all!" the latter two finished proudly.
Pikachu, Lycanroc, Incineroar, Melmetal, and Rowlet were the first of the gang's Pokémon to concur as they told Sarah, "You can't get rid of us that easily whenever you're in trouble!"
"We'll be here whenever you need us as Ash said!"
"And, you know what they always say!"
"Once a ranger..."
"...Always a ranger!"
"YEAH!" the rest of the gang's Pokémon added in agreement, giving Sarah and her family reassuring smiles.
"Her original bodyguards? Ash, what do you guys mean by 'original bodyguards'? Were you and your friends Power Rangers, too?" Goh questioned, having a small understanding of what was going on but not much else.
"It's a long story but when the Ultra Beasts first started to cross over to our world, and an evil syndicate called Team Eclipse was around which was led by her mad uncle: Lothor, we've been appointed as her personal bodyguards during my time in Alola," Ash explained.
Goh was amazed by this as he blurted out, "Whoa, really?!"
"Sick, dudes!" Fuecoco beamed in amazement.
Even Liko was astounded by what she had heard as she warmly thought to herself, "Wow, Sarah's old friends and classmates were amazing! I had no idea they were her personal bodyguards whenever she was in trouble and they all willingly gave up their normal lives to protect her and become Power Rangers for her sake. They're also willing to protect Lazuli even though they just met!"
"On another note, Sarah, has Eternatus been on his good behavior from last year?" Magnolia questioned the little princess, wanting to know of Eternatus' condition.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm nothing but peachy with my pipsqueak and I only answer to her alone. You happy now, granny? Hmph," snorted Eternatus before he turned away in a huff.
"Whoa, you seriously captured Eternatus?" Goh breathed in awe, stunned by what he had heard from the former Darkest Day.
Sarah showed Goh the Master Ball holding him and nodded as Hop noted, "She did, mate. And, she did it all with both our help and the Master Ball I gave her that night."
"That's awesome! I mean, I had a feeling it was that crazy when I heard what was going on according to the news reports two years ago but I never would've thought Professor Magnolia would go so far to let you have him."
Leon and Magnolia smiled as they then told Goh, "He was already feared and dejected by our people three millennia ago and wrongly denied a home before he was released by Chairman Rose. After hearing how she had gotten to him through her heart while she and her friends subdued him with the additional assistance of Zacian and Zamazenta, Leon and I talked it over with the Macro Cosmos Board of Directors and we agreed to put him in her custody."
"And, by the looks of it, it appears we made the right choice; I was initially worried but now I'm glad to see that I was wrong to have little faith in the princess and her choice on the matter. Eternatus has a deep connection with our Galar Particles, the energy force that flows throughout this region. This proves that he is a Pokémon who cannot be separated by the Galarian way of life so we must all learn to co-exist with him going forward."
Liko was further stunned as she asked Professor Magnolia, "Are you saying... Eternatus was responsible for Galar's Dynamax and Gigantamax Phenomenon?!"
"No way! For real?" Roy added as he shared Liko's shock and amazement over the revelation of Eternatus.
"Wow!"
"Crazy!" Sprigatito and Fuecoco gasped in shock.
Leon turned to Sarah as he complimented her, "Well, Sarah, I also had my doubts on whether or not you could help Eternatus but what you've shown here thankfully put my worries to rest. Your kindness and love for him did a world of wonder for him throughout the last two years and you've learned to better understand each other during that time, good on you."
"Wow, Sarah's so amazing! I can't believe she did all of that for Eternatus even after he was betrayed and nearly destroyed the world. Even after he was captured and given to her, she showed nothing but kindness and love to him. And, that allowed him to learn to trust humanity," Liko thought in awe of Sarah.
The Pokémon Monarch then smirked as he went on to say, "Sarah, if you don't mind, I have a favor to ask of you and it involves Eternatus himself."
The little princess was surprised and he even got Eternatus' attention as the former quizzed, "What do you mean?"
"I'm very interested to see how he handles his power now after being with you for two years; the workers at Macro Cosmos and I have been working on a way to help you and everyone else in and outside of Galar learn how to Dynamax and Gigantamax without the use of a Power Spot whenever you please and we want to help him hone his power to a point when he can control the phenomenon in any other region if possible. Would you mind lending us Eternatus throughout your stay so he can learn how to control his power?"
Sarah was stunned by the offer but Ash and Pikachu were delighted at the prospect and the thought of Dynamaxing and Gigantimaxing outside of Galar as they encouraged her, "Alright! Dynamaxing and Gigantimaxing outside of Galar will be awesome! Say yes, Sarah!"
"Go for it!"
"More giant Pokémon?! Oh, no!" Nikki and James groaned in dismay, making everybody else laugh at their expense.
"Dynamaxing and Gigantimaxing outside of Galar...?" Sarah echoed, feeling uncertain.
"Who knows, Sarah? It could be of great help, maybe Eternatus will get to know a thing or two."
"Give it a shot!" Mallow and Lana replied, trying to get her to see the benefits of such an idea.
"Well..."
Sarah was still unsure but it was Blitz who finally gave her the push she needed as he pleaded, "Oh, come on, Mom! The Explorers will use every card they have on them just to get Liko's pendant and your and Uncle Race's Terapagos after Spinel and Amethio failed to put us down and we need every asset we can get to protect them as well as Lucius' Six Heroes since we now know about Arboliva and the Terastral Shiny Rayquaza! You need to let Eternatus do this!"
"I don't know..."
"Please?"
"...Okay."
"YAHOOOOO!"
"BUT! I want him to decide if he wants to," Sarah stopped, reminding Blitz that she needed Eternatus' consent to the idea before she turned to the former Darkest Day for his opinion. "Well, Eternatus, you want to go for it?"
The Gigantic Pokémon thought for a moment and he couldn't help but slowly come around to the idea of learning to control his immense power; through a comedic thought bubble, he imagined that if he learned to control his power and the ability to Dynamax and Gigantimax Pokémon without the use of Power Spots, then he could Dynamax and Gigantimax any Pokémon around him to crush the Explorers should they go at his human and the Terapagos belonging to her and Race again. Of course, this was just an exaggeration from his imagination but Leon's idea and the implications of this accomplishment were now too good for him to pass up.
"...Oh, okay. I'll go, Pipsqueak. I guess it won't hurt to get the runaround of my power," he eventually agreed, making his way to Leon and turning towards his human for one more thing. "BUT! If you and your posse make your way to this castle belonging to the tiny female's granny in Hammerlocke, once I'm done, I'm coming back. No exceptions since those Explorer freaks are still on the prowl."
"I wouldn't have it any other way for you," Sarah smiled simply as she handed Magnolia Eternatus' Master Ball and told her, the Pokémon Monarch, and her granddaughter, "Professor, Leon, Sonia, I'm counting on you three..."
"Never fear, Sarah, we promise to take care of him until he's ready to join you in Hammerlocke," Sonia smiled back reassuringly. "But, since you'll be staying for a while until you leave to continue your mission, what are you gonna do now?"
"Ring-Ring-Ring! Ring-Ring-Ring! Ring-Ring-Ring!"
Rotoscope rang up as he picked up a call from Murdock and he told his owner, "Heads up, Pretty Face! It looks like the Rising Volt Tacklers' number one cook is on the hotline for you, Liko, and Roy!"
"From Murdock? Patch it through, let's see what he wants," Sarah blinked, allowing Rotoscope to answer Murdock's call before everybody, especially Liko and Roy, saw him and Alcremie on the pink Rotom Phone's screen. "Hey, Murdock, how are things on the Brave Olivine?"
"Oh, just great, Sarah. Heh, I see you and the others are all having a blast in Wedgehurst with your old friends here," Murdock chuckled before he then asked, "Say, if you make your way back to Motostoke to join us again later and if you got some time, would you all like to go shopping in the city with me? I'm looking for food you can only get in Galar and I wouldn't mind the extra company pitching in to help me out."
"Sure thing, Murdock."
"It would interesting to check out the city as well."
"That sounds great!"
"Yeah, I'm game!" Sarah, Race, Liko, and Roy grinned as everyone else in their group voiced their agreement, eager to check out Motostoke as well.
"Hey, Ash, would you and the others mind if you come along with us?" Liko asked Ash and the Pokémon School Gang.
"We'd love to, that'll be great!" Ash cheered.
"Thanks, Liko!" the Pokémon School Gang agreed happily with Gladion giving her a soft nod in thanks for the offer she gave them.
To Be Continued...
