AN: Given the remaining episodes are English Subbed (some with English Titles already) until the Dubbed Versions come out Quang and I will be doing the English Subbed episodes further on.
Liko - While on our journey, my grandmother's old friend, Teppin, stole Marena's Ancient Pokeball and Sarah's family heirlooms as well as her arrow quiver which caused us quite a panic. With luck and after a wild and crazy chase, we managed to get them back with the help of a wild Gengar and Mismagius that eventually took a liking to Lazuli and he told us that a Pokeball Smith was interested in the Ancient Pokeball. And, so, we set off to find her, hoping to know more about it from another perspective
July 26th and we find the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft heading towards the location of the factory belonging to the Pokeball Smith Teppin told the heroes about. At this time, in the Dragon Craft's dining room, Sarah was busying herself with everyone's breakfast; as expected from the previous day's events, the Pokeball Smith was the topic of conversation between the royal family.
"Remarkable... So, this Pokeball Smith is the real deal? I had no idea that such a person even existed," Tai Lung admitted.
"Most unexpected, especially since none of us from Okoya Jungle have heard or seen how such crafty little balls were made," Xena nodded in agreement.
"By human hands of all things!" Freezeon nodded, sounding impressed.
"Although, they can sometimes feel a little cramp for someone's liking-bzt," admitted Manteon as he scratched behind one of his eras.
"Well, believe it or not, guys, such a person existed. And, the Pokeball Smith we're looking for is not the only one; Ash told me about a Pokeball expert named Kurt who specializes in making a variety of Pokeballs fashioned from apricorns. Depending on which apricorns are used, they can have varying properties and allow trainers to catch Pokémon suited for such balls," Sarah confirmed to her Jungle Pokémon.
"Of course, we had a few of them in our time, some with considerable talent compared to others but they're all fascinating works of art," Tsukumaro reminisced as he had his blueberry pancakes and milk.
"Though, I do have to ask, kid; compared to this Kurt guy and others like him, how do you think this Pokeball Smith that former swindler clued us in on would fare with her lot?" Tyson quizzed.
"That, I don't know. It's exactly why we're going to inquire her over what she's making in addition to learning more about the Ancient Pokeballs in Marena's hands."
"And, if the woman of the hour knows zip about Marena's comfort zones for Lucius' six children?" Kurma questioned, raising an eyebrow at his old charge.
"...That, we'll have to get back to you with later, Kurma."
"Well, since that lady's the topic of our little chatty box, Mother, why don't you also have her do something with all the loose Pokeballs you have left over that Lils gave you?" Silvally interjected, making Sarah realize she had 98 of the original 145 Pokeballs Lillie gave her for Christmas left untouched.
"Or, maybe you can ask her to help you redesign the ones you caught us in; make them more unique to us so you could tell who you're calling out at any time or in battle, Mama," Braxien suggested as she and her siblings at together.
"You know, that's not a bad idea... It would be a helpful tippet for you, Sarah, you haven't been able to use much of the Pokeballs you have left since you got them for Christmas," Kukui nodded, finding the idea plausible.
"It does sound like a good idea for you to remake the Pokeballs you used for your family to look like them. Maybe, cute, too," Burnet chuckled in agreement as she fed Lei his baby food.
"Oh, yeah, I remember; Serena, Bonnie, Clemont, and I got to experience something like that at a Pokeball Factory in the Kalos Region while Serena was going to become a Master Pokémon Showcase performer and I was on my way to compete in the Kalos League. It was great...although, Team Rocket back then did ruin the experience by trying to rob it before Pikachu faked them out," Ash sighed sentimentally with a small wince with Pikachu giving a sheepish agreeing nod.
"That's always like you when it comes to helping people, Ash; leaping before you look whenever someone's in trouble."
"But, you did tell us that the workers were grateful for your, Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont's efforts in stopping them before they could make off with the freshly-made Pokeballs," smiled Mallow and Lillie, making the future Pokémon Master chuckle bashfully.
"Hey, guys, speaking of Pokeballs, why don't we also get our Pokeballs customized according to our Pokémon? That way, we'll also know who we're calling out whenever we need them for help or anything else!" Sophocles put in, getting a brainstorm.
"That sounds like fun!"
"I get it; I've always wondered who to pick out whenever I need Turtonator or Pyroar with me," Kiawe smiled back, liking the idea.
"Well, let's hope what happened at that Pokeball Factory doesn't make a repeat with the Pokeball Smith we're visiting," Race quipped.
"Don't even go there!"
"Don't give anybody ideas," grumbled Nikki and James at the Alolan Prince.
"Sarah, since we'll be nearing the location of the Pokeball Smith, how are things going with Liko, Roy, Dot, and the others on the Brave Olivine?" Umbreon puzzled the little princess, wondering how the Rising Volt Tacklers were faring.
"I haven't checked yet, I'll see what they're up to before I join you all," Sarah replied as she left for the Brave Olivine.
When the little princess teleported from the Dragon Craft to the Brave Olivine to check up on the Rising Volt Tacklers, she was surprised to find Orla looking miffed at Roy (who were joined by Fuecoco, Sprigatito, and Liko) and the cause: one of Roy's Pokeballs and a puncture on the airship's woodwork that exposed some wiring for the ship's power and other functions.
"Roy, I swear! What were you thinking when you did this?!" the mechanic snapped.
"I'm so sorry, I was just practicing my throws with a Pokeball," Roy apologized.
"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Sarah called as she arrived and saw the hole.
"Oh, hi Sarah, it's just that we had a little accident when Roy practiced throwing a Pokeball indoors," Liko replied.
"Eesh, I can see that. But, it's a good thing the wiring wasn't hit so it should be an easy fix. Reparo!" Sarah grimaced before she whipped out her wand and used the Mending Charm to fix the wall and return it to normal. "There, see? Good as new."
Orla smiled thankfully at Sarah before returning her attention to Roy, "Thanks, Sarah, I'd love to learn that charm but I'd prefer hands-on maintenance when doing my thing. But, seriously, Roy, I'd advise you to practice throwing your Pokeballs outdoors from now on! There's a lot of delicate wiring I've put into this old jalopy to make it work and fly as it is now and if even one wire is out of place-"
"ORLA! Get your butt over here!"
"Orla, the gauges are going haywire right now. You mind giving us a hand ASAP?"
"Now!" Cap and Friede called from the bridge via her Rotom Phone, looking pensive and peeved.
Then, Murdock came from the kitchen as he was having mechanical troubles of his own, "Orla, we got trouble! The refrigerator broke and stopped working all of a sudden!"
"Orla! The elevator got jammed and Chansey can't get out of it!" Mollie added urgently as she came over without her partner.
"They're right; I'm not getting enough electricity on my end so I can't recharge my Rotom Phone and computer," Dot concurred when she rang Orla up.
Then, all together, Murdock, Friede, Mollie, and Dot screamed, "YOU'VE GOTTA HELP US, ORLA!"
"AHHH! Okay, okay! Fine, I know already! Sheesh, you all need my help with one thing or another?!" Orla snapped as she marched off to help them with the ship's numerous mechanical bugs while Liko and Sarah awkwardly watched her go.
"...First time I've ever seen Orla have a hissy fit like that," Sarah gulped, sweatdropping.
"I'm sure she's used to this pressure but Orla's got it rough right now," Liko mused as Sprigatito and Terapagos played together.
However, little did Sarah and the heroes on her end know that as of late, Orla was being taken for granted by her friends for her mechanical prowess. Because she was the only mechanic amongst the Rising Volt Tacklers, she was the only one capable of solving every technical issue everybody on her end was having, resulting in the entire crew asking her to fix all their problems whenever something went wrong. As she and Liko could tell, it was starting to take a toll on her and they couldn't help but feel bad for the Brave Olivne's sole mechanic.
But, it seemed their chance to help her somehow would come sooner than expected when the Dragon Craft and the Brave Olivine arrived on the outskirts of a clearing that housed a singular building ahead of them. Cap and Friede were the first to spot it as they saw it from the Brave Olivine's bridge.
"Is that it up ahead?"
"Most likely," they pondered.
Even Roy, Fuecoco, and Orla (who were bringing in materials to have ready for any necessary repairs to the airship) noticed the building (which was a large warehouse that sported two large gears, a simple but elegant smokestack, and massive Pokeballs that denoted the place as a Pokeball Factory), something that caught the mechanic's attention as she raised an eyebrow at it.
"Hey, wait... Is that place...?" she began.
(Opening)
Now, head forth! Pierce through the clouds~
(Our opening for Part 2 of Pokémon Horizons (i.e. The Gleam of Terapagos) begins with Liko, Sarah, and Race in a triangle formation (Liko up top, Race from the bottom right-hand corner from her left, and Sarah from the bottom left-hand corner on her right) as their pendant and Terapagos Three shone in darkness before the former turned into Liko's Terapagos)
(We swiftly pan across the oceans akin to the beginning of the opening of Attack on Titan S4 Pt. 2 (The Rumbling by SIM) before stopping amongst the horizon as the titles for Pokémon Horizons: The Gleam of Terapagos appeared amidst a sunset/sunrise)
When I remember the words I couldn't say
I dove down to hide myself
Swimming my way through in uncertainty
I cut through the clouds and head for the blue sky
(We see a young Liko walking with her parents through a marketplace before we see her as she is, her uncertainty lifted as she holds and looks at her pendant underneath a moonlit sky from the rooftop of her family's house along with Sarah as she enjoyed her life in Alola growing up before she is shown holding her family's Sun Sword in its powered-down form as the young woman she is and held it above her head underneath the Alolan sun in a split-screen sequence. Then, in a flurry of Leafage and cosmic energy, we see the pair with their three Terapagos, Sprigatito, Hatenna, Blitz, Curly, and Silvally enjoying the breeze together on the observation decks of the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft)
One day, I'll look back
At that fiery red sunset
And burn it all into memory
(A young Roy is shown being fascinated by stories his grandfather was showing him until we see him as the boy he is (looking dirty all over and wearing the Brave Olivine's flag like a cape) eyeing the Ancient Pokeball that once held Lucius' Rayquaza in his right hand and raising it high above him in the rising or setting sun while Race is seen being found by Brandon, enjoying life with him and the other Frontier Brains, and being the man he is now as he eyed the camera and held a Pokeball in front of him while glaring at the camera in the same split-screen sequence before they're shown via Flamethrower, Shadow Claw, and Thunder watching the sunset on the Brave Olivine's Wing Deck and the Dragon craft's sun deck watching the sunset with Bella, Robbie, Tou-Tou, Wattrel, and Fuecoco)
Even if I can't reach the truth of the world~
Or the feelings of that girl~
It's okay to not understand~
Just shine like a rainbow~
(We are shown their friends and Sarah's family including a few of their Pokémon in five/six slot group sequences as follows: Friede, Orla, Mollie, Dot, Ludlow, and Murdock with Charizard, Metagross and Elekid, Chansey, Quaxly, Rockruff and Alcremie, and Quagsire; Burnet (with the cute addition of Lei) and Kukui with Munchlax, Incineroar, and Braviary joined by Diane, James, Nikki, and Johnathan with Romeo, Dragonite, Lucario, Clover, Catnip, Juliet, and Clover; Ash, Lana, Mallow, Kiawe, Lillie, and Sophocles with their respective partners; and Delilah, Doug, Donna (former queen), David, Asha, and Gladion with Mischief, Persian, the Tomoe Squad, Flicker, Flicka, June, Proud, Ziracon, Umbreon, Silvally, and Lycanroc; Goh, Nemona, Arven, Penny, and Team Star with Meowscarda, Pawmo, Killowattrel, Cinderace, Inteleon, Grookey, Mabostiff, the Eevees, Bisharp, Torkoal, Skuntank, Revavroom, Azumarill, Wigglytuff, Passimian, and Toxicroak; and the Blueberry Academy students with Hydrapple, Mightyena, Toucannon, Magmortor, Empoleon, Reuniclus, Whimsicott, Granbull, Flygon, and Haxorus)
(We see a smirking Cap from the Brave Olivine's bridge and Friede taking the wheel along with MK-1 on the Dragon Craft's Bridge at its controls with an eager bark, the three of them preparing to take everyone aboard their respective ships to new heights and continue discovering all the world has to offer among the horizons)
Now, head forth! Pierce through the clouds~
Stumbling, staggering~
Standing firm and reaching farther~
Now, run forth! Towards my future~
(In the horizons, with the heroes riding their respective ships, they dash forward with Lucius' Rayquaza roaring and flying alongside them before Liko, Roy, Dot, Murdock, and Ludlow are shown with their partners stumbling, running, or sliding along Rayquaza's body with Mollie, Chansey, and Orla following on Metagross and Sarah and Race tailing their new friends aboard Bolt and Winter with the rest of their family joining them before Marena and Stormcloud joined them. Meanwhile, Amethio is shown training with his Ceruledge and Corviknight with the former forced back by the latter and their master staggering to the floor and sitting on his ass from the intensity of the training battle. As his partners sparred, he gritted his teeth and tugged his shirt, feeling unsatisfied about the current progress he was making and wanting to do more to improve themselves and himself on something while Hamber and Dusknoir watched on)
At the end of this long, long journey
I'll remember you
One day, we'll shake hands
And laugh
(Lucca, Diana, and Liko were seen together with the final Terapagos in the young girl's arms who cried out and unleashed an energy wave, showing Moltres, Arboliva, and Rayquaza with the second half of the Six Heroes: Entei, Lapras, and Kleavor, in small bursts along with Lucius and Liko's Terapagos, before Sarah, Race, Liko, their Terapagos Four, Sprigatito, Rosie, Chili, Crest, Silvally, Tou-Tou, Robbie, and Bella along with a tearful Marena come across Lucius on a cliff point before they joined the Ancient Adventurer on his current spot)
A light appeared
At the end of the rainbow
And I found my dream
(We see the Explorers in short bursts along with a Tera Orb in Sarah's hand, Lucius' gear and records, one of the Terapagos Four in Stellar Form, and someone reaching out in between the heroes looking out to the horizon and the sun in the heavens before Sarah, Liko, Marena, and Race are seen face to face with the Six Heroes as the opening ends)
(End Theme Song)
Eventually, after landing, while everybody else stayed behind, Liko, Roy, Sarah, Race, Ash, Lillie, Lazuli, Friede, and Orla (joined by Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Crest, Chili, Rosie, Blitz, Curly, Bella, Robbie, Pikachu, Snowy, Galaxagus, Timburr, Roggenrola, Panthera, Gengar, Mismagius, Woobat, Cap, Metagross, and Elekid) went to meet with the Pokeball Smith as they stood in front of the Pokeball Factory.
"Oh, my... Look at the size of this place!"
"It's so big!"
"Wow, are those things on this place really Pokeballs?"
"Jumbo-sized...!" Lillie, Snowy, Roy, and Fuecoco gasped, staring in astonishment at the workshop's Pokeball decor.
"It sure looks imposing."
"Sure does," agreed Liko and Sprigatito.
"That's a Pokeball Factory for ya and it's amazing there's one here in the Galar Region," grinned Ash.
"And, one operated by a woman, too! Just like Orla being the Brave Olivine's sole mechanic!"
"I knew Teppin implied that he originally intended to sell off Marena's Ancient Pokeball for Rayquaza to a Pokeball Smith but I never knew she would be in a place like this," admitted an impressed Sarah as she held a small bag that contained the remaining Pokeballs she didn't use yet, hoping to ask the Pokeball Smith if she could remodel them along with the balls she's already using.
"Hmm, I wonder what Orla's doing right now?" Friede pondered, turning to his childhood friend who examined the factory with a keen mechanic's eye.
Eventually, after carefully thinking about what she had seen, she finally said (looking disappointed for a moment), "I see, so that's how it is... No, that's no good, at all!"
Everyone nearly fell over from her response as Friede pondered awkwardly, "U-Uh, no good...?"
"It does look pretty but the gears are all out of sync from what I'm seeing. There's also a lot of redundant piping and it's absolute garbage, no sense of work ethic and basic understanding of the machinery going on!" she quipped disappointedly with Elekid crossing his arms in agreement, sharing her mechanical sentiments as they and Metagross rejoined the group.
"Was that why you were examining the factory's machinery?"
"Well, when it comes to machines and all that stuff..." Liko and Roy began.
Friede smiled knowingly as he finished, "...Orla's very picky about these things and has very peculiar standards."
"Standards?" Sprigatito, Snowy, Fuecoco, Pikachu, Bella, Curly, Timburr, Roggenrola, and Woobat echoed curiously.
"You, my friend, have an oddball taste in mechanical aesthetics."
"Agreed," Gengar and Mismagius sniggered at the Brave Olivine mechanic.
"Mm-hmm," added Robbie.
"If you really think there's no appeal to this factory, why not buy the place and make it your own?" Lazuli joked to the mechanic.
"You could make an episode of Extreme Makeover out of it just like that Give Kids The World episode we watched before coming here," quipped Chili with Rosie and Crest nodding in agreement.
"Extreme Makeover?" Timburr, Woobat, and Roggenrolla echoed towards Sarah's Paldea Starters, all three looking confused.
"We'll tell you about it later," Crest replied quickly.
"I would but it's already been occupied. Such a shame, really; I'm sure whoever installed all of this would make it all the more impressive with just a few tweaks," Orla replied to the swordswoman before everyone jumped at the sound of a massive explosion.
Then, white steam and smoke crept out from underneath the door, surprising the heroes as Friede quipped, "H-Hey! What was that just now?!"
The door opened and steam and smoke plumed out of the building before a figure frantically came running out to avoid being scalded with a yelp, making the heroes jump and yelp back before the smoke and steam cleared. And, from out of the smoke and steam stood a woman with dark turquoise hair, a pink apron over a white long-sleeved shirt with its sleeves rolled back, work goggles, a mechanic's belt and side pouch, black work leggings, and brown boots with pink spats and yellow sleeve rims.
The woman (AKA the Pokeball Smith they were looking for) pulled her goggles off her eyes, staring at the heroes in surprise as she began, "Oh! I'm sorry, are you all...visitors?"
"Uh, yes, M'am," Sarah nodded before they were shown into the shop by the Pokeball Smith.
As the heroes looked at the equipment the Pokeball Smith had set up for making the Pokeballs she was working on, she fiddled around with a pile of junk and parts, wanting to accommodate them with some tea while her Partner Pokémon, a Magby, watched on.
"Just give me a second while I prepare you all some tea," she said.
Eventually, she found a tea kettle amongst all the stuff she was looking through and Magby ran a short distance to avoid the pile falling on top of his human partner which startled everybody and made them worried for her.
"Buddy, are you okay?! I told you to organize all of this better or not tilt the stack! For Arceus' sake!" Magby (male) fretted, concerned for his partner.
"Uh, are you alright, M'am?" gulped Roy.
"This is what happens when you don't tidy up with a bit of spring cleaning around here," Orla commented.
"I'm okay!" the Pokeball Smith perked up as she emerged from the pile with her tea kettle and looked unscathed (all while having a big grin on her face).
"She's quite a lively person there," Liko thought with an awkward smile before Sprigatito noticed a Pokeball rolling over to their group and she began to fiddle with it.
But, the ball in question shocked Sarah as she gasped and took it in her hands, recognizing it almost immediately, "I-Is that...?! No way, is this a Hisuian Pokeball?"
"This... Is this really a Pokeball?" Liko questioned, looking at the Pokeball of old.
"It sure does, this kind of Pokeball was made in the Hisui Region over 500 years ago," the Pokeball Smith confirmed before she turned to Sarah. "Which reminds me, do you know about this Pokeball, Miss?"
The little princess nodded as she replied, "How could I not? My godfather told me the exact same thing and my friends and I used these during the Hisui Festival in Canalize City last year! We opened them by opening the ball's latch like this..."
She then unlocked the latch on the Hisuian Pokeball and it opened up, surprising everyone not in the know about them as Lazuli breathed in astonishment on their behalf, "Are you kidding me?"
"Wow, that's so cool!" Liko agreed, amazed by how the Pokeball worked.
"You got discerning eyes for detail, young ladies. My name's Khana and I'm very pleased to meet you," the Pokeball Smith, Khana, greeted as she shook the trio's hands.
Moments later, after everybody got acquainted with Khana, she and Magby served them hot tea with the former heating the kettle his partner prepared for the heroes.
"Thanks, Magby, that'll do," smiled Khana as she took the pot.
"No problem," Magby smiled as they eventually got to the matter involving Teppin and the Ancient Pokeball he swindled.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sarah, everyone. I had no idea Teppin was such a dishonest man no the fact he tried to pawn your friend's ball as well as your arrow quiver and family heirlooms the moment he got his eyes on them. Honestly, I had no idea what was going on in his when he called me yesterday; I told him that money's never on my mind when it comes to me and rare Pokeballs," Khana apologized since she had never known about Teppin's previous treachery in full detail.
"It's okay, he was very good at tongue twisters and sounded very convincing when we first met him at his shop yesterday," Sarah reassured.
"So... Since you like Pokeballs, do you collect and create them?" Liko quizzed.
Khana grinned proudly, happy for her profession as she stated, "You bet; why, Pokebals, in all their custom and varying glory, are the stuff of dreams. The undying love and passion of their makers when they were built and the particularities each ball possesses based on their individual styles... I was so inspired by them and the craft they made when I first laid eyes on them that I, too, want to make balls tightly packed with such particularities!"
Orla was intrigued as she smiled back at Khana before Friede turned to Roy, knowing they had something important to ask her, "Roy, don't you think it's time to discuss with Khana why we're here in the first place?"
"Yep. This thing here is my treasure from a friend of Sarah's: an Ancient Pokeball. Do you know anything about-?" puzzled Roy, showing Khana Rayquaza's Ancient Pokeball before he was cut off by an awestruck Khana who took the ball off his hands and stared at it with twinkling eyes.
"What is this? What's this? I've never seen anything like it before, it's so beautiful! The shape, its patterns, the elegant coloration, and this ancient motif that the ball screams in front of you! It's simply wonderful, absolutely fantastic!" she gushed
"Uh, thanks... Marena, Sarah's advisor from Dragonstone, created it along with five others like it. We were hoping if you know anything about them as she did," Liko explained.
"Nope, sorry; haven't the foggiest idea since it's all completely new to me. But, I wouldn't write it off as long as I don't mind understanding a rare Pokeball in full. Besides, its mere excellence is fascinating as were all of these," Khana chirped happily, directing everyone to a box of an array of Pokeballs she had crafted herself coupled with a folded piece of paper detailing which ball was which.
"Oh, wow! Look at all those Pokeballs!"
"All sorts of designs and they look so cool!"
"Really cool!" Roy, Ash, and Pikachu breathed in amazement.
"Amazing! Did you make all of those Pokeballs yourself?" Lillie gasped in awe at Khana.
"That's right, they're all my prototypes for testing out new ideas with them. Of course, as the term suggests, they're prototypes; some don't open right, others open too readily, and a few might be the wrong size. But, with each failure, my chances at success grow by the day with each lesson I learn from them until they lead to the final products of my making! In other words, they're all my finalized products-to-be!"
Everyone was very impressed as Friede commented, "How optimistic."
"I could learn something from her given her determination," Liko mused, intrigued by Khana's perseverance and love for her craft.
"Hey, Khana! Would it be all right for me to try out your prototypes? I want to get some practice at throwing Pokeballs in," Roy requested eagerly, getting knowing eye rolls from Sarah and the others while his heart fluttered at the different Pokeballs he could use to practice his throws.
Khana was surprised by the request and Roy's keen eye but she was delighted by his reasoning and immediately agreed, "My, my! You have a discerning eye as well, young man. Very well; my design notes are there to help you know about each Pokeball inside the box, help yourself!"
"All right! Come on, Fuecoco, let's go and practice throwing Pokeballs with these guys!" Roy cheered as he took the box full of Khana's prototype Pokeballs and went to the woods to practice his throws with Fuecoco joining him.
"Mind yourself when you're using them, though! There are a lot of strong Pokémon wandering around the outskirts so don't make any trouble with them, okay?" Khana warned as they departed.
"You got it!"
"Bye!" Roy and Fuecoco nodded as everyone smiled, watching them leave with the prototype balls before they heard something going wrong from one of the machines behind them.
"Oh no, not again," Khana sighed, getting Orla's attention as she inquired, "Hey, was that a machine for creating Pokeballs you're using?"
"Mm-hmm, I've gotten so many orders to create original Pokeballs in addition to my products-to-be so I had to buy a machine that could mass produce them for me to keep up with the demand. But, even so... It appears some machines aren't any good at what they do compared to human labor."
This caught Sarah and Orla's attention as they inquired, "Khana, we get that human labor entails intricate craftsmanship but some machines can work just as well as long as they're given the attention they deserve."
"That's right, have you been keeping up with maintenance with your machine since you got it?"
"Maintenance?" Khana echoed in confusion.
Orla showed Khana what she and Sarah meant by examining her equipment with Elekid by her side, pinpointing the faults her machines suffer from, "The blades on this bit look worn down and it could do with a touch of oil there... And, over here... Aha, no wonder this thing kept on exploding on you, it's all out of coolant."
"Hey, Orla, you mind some pups of mine giving you a hand with the equipment?" Sarah asked the Brave Olivine mechanic, bringing out her Pup Pad.
"Sure, that'll be great," Orla smiled, giving Sarah the go-ahead to call the pups she needed before Arcia arrived at the Pokeball Factory with Cam beside her on their vehicles as she got started on fixing Khana's machines, grabbing a wrench as she did so. "Let me borrow this."
Jumping off their respective wheels with a howl after they'd arrived, the pair greeted the heroes after entering the factory with Arcia declaring as they stood at attention, "Arcia and Cam ready for mechanical duty, M'am!"
"Hey, Sarah, we heard there was a machine that creates Pokeballs needing fast-track repairs from us and your friend. Whatever you need, we're your pups," Cam quipped as the Builder and Engineer pups faced their owner.
"Thanks, guys, much appreciated. You can help Orla while she's tinkering with a few things from it on her end," the little princess nodded, allowing them to work on other parts of the machine.
The two pups nodded before they looked over two areas Orla noted in her examinations of Khana's machinery as having flaws in their designs, Arcia overlooking the cooling system as she replied, "Hmm, no coolant over here. This thing's cooling system's going to give if it's not taken care of. Ruff, activate Multi-Tool!"
While Arcia uses her Pup Pack's Multi-Tool to repair the cooling system, Cam tweaked the wiring as he noted, "The wiring's gone haywire, this definitely needs sorting ASAP. Arf, Wiring Claws, go!"
Khana was amazed as she watched Orla and the two pups work their technical and mechanical magic to repair her machine for making ordinary Pokeballs with Friede quipping, "Sorry our friend's gung-ho about your equipment. But, she's a wiz at this stuff. One of Sarah's pups, Arcia, surprised us when she helped her with a buttload of repairs to one of our ships when it suffered faults she couldn't fix alone one time."
The repairs took less than a minute as Orla, Arcia, and Cam completed them in record time and the Brave Olivine mechanic announced, "Okay, turn it on, and let's see how it does!"
"Oh, right!" Khana nodded as she activated her machine (which the heroes decided to call a Pokeball Maker) before it suddenly roared into life, making no noises signaling any technical or mechanical faults it was suffering from.
And, from its newly smoothed-out operating thanks to Orla, Cam, and Arcia's repairs, it made a beautiful Pokeball come out of it in pristine condition. The Pokeball that came from it was of a simple yet intricate design as its top half was an elegant shade of light blue, its bottom half was a shade of blue-white, and the rim and lock separating both halves had the motif of elegant leaves and flowers.
Khana and Liko were delighted by how the ball turned out as the former gasped in wonder and the latter quipped, "It's beautiful!"
"That's cool!" Sprigatito agreed as she tried to touch it.
"See that, Khana? As you saw earlier, with a little love and care given to this baby, you'll have it up and running again. It's not some useless junk if you give them a good fix-up, right?" smirked Orla proudly, pointing to the repaired Pokeball Maker behind her.
Arcia and Cam nodded as they added, "It's easy when you have the right tools and know which part needs fixing!"
"And, whenever you're in trouble and you can't fix your machines by yourself, just yelp for help!"
"Ah, yes... You're right, sorry about that," Khana smiled back, feeling sheepish about forgetting her machines' daily maintenance.
Orla nodded understandably as she replied, "Still, it's not really the machine's fault; even mechanical beauties such as this Pokeball Maker have their own flaws, characteristics, feelings, passions, and perspectives we need to consider. While we, Arcia, and Cam are at it, why don't we have your Pokémon help out, too?"
Elekid grinned while Magby tilted his head curiously.
Meanwhile, as all of this was happening, Roy and Fuecoco were in the forest outskirts while testing Khana's Pokeball prototypes as he practiced getting his throws down:
- The first prototype the young adventurer was a blue Pokeball with three fins on it that were, in truth, rocket boosters called a "Rocket Ball" - a Pokeball with three rockets that allowed it to fly straighter when thrown compared to normal Pokeballs
- The second prototype was a yellow Pokeball that had boomerang-like fins called a "Boomerang Ball" - a Pokeball that, when thrown, zips around its target and returns to the thrower (which Roy discovered when it hit him in the face after circling a rock he pretended was a Pokémon and it came back at him) which was handing for catching Pokémon at extremely close range when they're at one's feet
- The third prototype he ended up testing was a pink Pokeball that had a bomb fuse on top called a "Bomb-Bomb Ball" - its name being a dead giveaway for it blew up on him and Fuecoco before he could even throw it, leaving them utterly befuddled by it and the concept behind it (which was why Khana's notes told him to exercise caution as it sometimes explodes when being thrown)
As they were testing Khana's prototypes, however, they had no idea they were being watched by a peculiar Pokémon that looked like a Weezing but with smokestacks on it and furry facial details that acted like eyebrows, a beard, and a mustache and was curious as to what they were doing.
Over at where the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft were parked, Friede (after he, Cap, Liko, Sprigatito, and the others returned) was telling Murdock and Mollie what was happening at Khana's Pokeball Factory and how she and Orla were becoming great friends when she helped her with her machines, "And, that's that; at that moment, Orla got chummy with Karna and she started tinkering with her machines. We just left her to it so she's gonna be stuck there for a while."
"Well, she does have a passion for tinkering with machinery whenever she's in her element, after all," Murdock chuckled, knowing about Orla's love for mechanics and machinery.
"I'll say. Could do well for her to use a breather like that when she needs it," Mollie noted, recalling how stressed she was before they arrived at the factory.
"She's always been super busy whenever we need her for something," Friede remarked, sparking a small argument between him, Mollie, and Murdock regarding how they've been treating Orla and how they took her for granted.
"Isn't that why you always make such crazy demands for her to tackle whenever something like the power goes off?"
"Uh-Am not! Murdock's the one always asking for favors such as fixing the broken refrigerator in the kitchen this morning!"
"Huh?! I'm not the problem here! I-I'm sure you've done more that your fair share of pestering her, Mollie!"
"Yeah, right! As if!"
And, so, while the argument dragged on for minutes on end as Friede, Mollie, and Murdock tried to pass the blame for Orla's recent predicament onto one another, Diana along with Johnathan and Diane (who were joining them in the briefing room for tea) smiled and enjoyed the small show between them and Cap watched on, feeling bad for Orla.
"By the sound of it, we all know how this is turning out."
"Mm-hmm."
"You're right, doesn't look like it's any one person's fault to us," they quipped, knowing that apart from Roy, Ludlow, and Liko, the Rising Volt Tacklers demanding too much from the airship's sole mechanic were to blame.
"Yeah, me too," sighed Cap, feeling guilty for how he had also taken Orla for granted.
"Romeo, darling, do you think it would be wise to step in before it gets nasty?" Juliet asked Romeo as they watched Mollie, Murdock, and Friede at each other's throats over who was to blame for Orla's little dilemma.
"Actually, this could take a while," Romeo sighed, deciding to let the matter solve itself.
"Just watch, everybody!"
Returning to the Pokeball Factory, with the others staying behind looked around the factory some more as they helped Khana with her equipment and developed ways to maintain her equipment and make her Pokeballs more efficiently, Liko took the first completed Pokeball and practiced her declaration to catch new Pokémon while her partner watched on.
"I'm gonna catch you, Pokémon over there! ...Or, something like that," she quipped.
"Oh, brother..." Sprigatito sighed.
With Orla, Khana, Elekid, Magby, Arcia, and Cam, the Builder and Engineering Pups advised the pre-evolved Live Coal Pokémon to use Flamethrower whenever the butterfly doors to the forge fire opened which was what he did, much to their and Orla's satisfaction.
"That's it!"
"Perfect, now just keep it up to maintain a steady production temperature," the two pups nodded.
"Excellent, that ought to boost the machine's efficiency by about 30%. Now, turn it on, and let's see the result of the balls your baby makes now," Orla instructed Khana, allowing her to turn on the Pokeball Maker and see it produce more than ten Pokeballs thanks to what she learned from the experienced mechanics.
"Wow, amazing!" she breathed in astonishment at the quantity of freshly-made Pokeballs produced while maintaining their high quality.
"Like this, it'll mass produce all that without a hitch."
Khana was amazed as she had learned a lot from what Orla, Arcia, and Cam taught her since she had never considered such suggestions beforehand when she began her craft in Pokeball making. It was like she was going through a one-person school on mechanics and technical efficiency and the results were paying off from what she could see before her.
"Getting your Pokémon to help with this stuff; truly, this is something I've never even considered back then! And, it's even more amazing to see them having fun while working. Orla, you're a mad genius with mechanics! And, Sarah's pups, they're so fantastic, too!"
"It's nothing; your equipment is a lot like the engine room of the airship I worked in so this is all just routine maintenance for me. I'm sure the same can be said for Arcia and Cam; Arcia surprised me when Sarah called her and she was able to help me deal with leaks I had to patch up at some point after my and my friends' journey with her began. And, if I'm honest, the Pokeballs you made just now are beautiful. Not many craftsmen and craftswomen can pull off such delicate ornamentation and I've yet to see someone that does all of this."
Khana nodded sentimentally as she told the Brave Olivine mechanic, observing the freshly made balls as they talked, "Something my teacher made sure to leave me with is the fact that if you want to, you'll need to keep your Pokémon in the *best balls*, ones that show off the creator's personality and the best traits about them."
"I get the picture; that's why I want to create the best environment for the Pokémon in our world, too! In the sense that we make such incredible stuff to keep Pokémon as comfy as they can be, you could say our jobs are rather similar," agreed Orla as Liko decided to check on them and observed the completed ball she was holding.
Then, Khana made an offer to her that surprised the young girl when she heard, "Hey, Orla, if you wouldn't mind... Would you like to stay here and join me? With your engineering and my ornamentation, I know we can make something so amazing that it screams our personalities together! Like, well, let's see... Ah, like a flying Pokeball, you got it?"
"A flying Pokeball, for Flying Types, is that what you're saying? I like it!"
While they were listening in on their conversation, Sarah and the others knew Orla would never intend on leaving the Rising Volt Tacklers as they smiled at the two friends. But, Liko was growing anxious; she began to have ideas that she would leave the group to stay with Khana and help out with her Pokeballs and was worried that she'd never see her again.
"Orla, leaving the crew? Does she really think that? Th-Th-Th-This is awful!" she mused nervously despite Sarah noticing how antsy she was feeling for Orla, the little princess having a feeling that the mechanic's choice wasn't set in stone as of yet.
With Roy and Fuecoco, they had managed to test a majority of the prototypes Khana made, and yet, despite the practice he got in throwing them, he felt unsatisfied with his throwing style. Before calling it for the day and returning to the others, he decided to test out the last prototype he had on him. All the while, the strange Weezing continued to watch from its spot behind one of the trees.
"Man, why is this harder than it looks...? Oh, well... I hope the next one we have left might be a homer before we return to the others. Let's see - Chase Ball, a Pokeball that automatically heads toward any nearby Pokémon," the young adventurer began as he read the notes on the final prototype before he could test it out.
The prototype he pulled out that came with the note was a teal and spring-green Pokeball with an antenna for remote control on top and wheels (supposedly having sensory equipment fitted to it that allows it to find and catch any nearby Pokémon in the area).
"Aha, here it is! Okay, here goes! Now!" Roy smirked as he threw the Chase Ball and it rolled along its wheels, its Pokémon motion sensors darting past the rock and approaching the Weezing watching in the shadows (lifting his and Fuecoco's spirits up) before it jumped towards it and bounced off one of its heads with a metallic "PING" but failed to open.
"Hey, wait... 'But, it often fails to open upon usage.' You've got to be joking!" the young adventurer grumbled before the Weezing made itself known, showing a nasty bump its second head got from the Chase Ball hitting it and looking incredibly angry at him (its hair-like features and smokestacks instantly denoting what type of Weezing it is to the young boy). "...G-G-Ga... A Galarian Weezing...?"
Then, without warning, the Galarian Weezing flew into a rage and started chasing him and his partner, leaving the pair screaming in a panic as they ran back to Khana's Pokeball Factory for help.
"BASTARDS!"
"COME BACK HERE, YOU POKEBALL-CHUCKING RUNTS!" snapped the Galarian Weezing's two heads furiously as they chased Roy and Fuecoco.
As Roy and Fuecoco scrambled back to the others, Khana was busy examining the freshly made Pokeballs that were being completed with Magby continuing to help out with the Pokeball Maker's forge fire and Arcia and Cam assisting with her quality checks to make sure the orders for them would be filled out and ready for shipping. Of course, Sarah did get around to asking her about customizing the Pokeballs she had on her and the ones she didn't use yet for her Pokémon and the Pokeball Smith was more than happy to have her do as she pleases on that end given the help she and Orla had given her (which is her way of saying "thank you" to them and her pups).
As for Liko, she and Sprigatito were watching Orla and Elekid working on the wiring for the Pokeball Factory's generator, wondering if Orla would decide to stay with Khana and say goodbye to the Rising Volt Tacklers. It wasn't easy for her to wrap such a thought around her head but given all of the trouble Friede and the others had given her as of late on her end that morning, the more she thought about it, the more depressing it would be to see her leave even though it would be her choice to do so in the end.
"Is Orla really going to stay here and work with Ms. Khana? Does that mean, if she does...she'll be leaving the crew?" she mused, seeming depressed over the thought.
"Hmm? Hey, Liko, what's gotten you down all of a sudden? Your pep battery running out of juice today?" the mechanic asked, wondering what was on the young girl's mind with how quiet she was being now.
"Uh, no... It's, um..."
"I see. Well, everything's good so I could use a little break, too."
After a moment of silence, Liko finally decided to inquire as to why Orla joined Friede, Ludlow, and Cap as one of the first members of the Rising Volt Tacklers, asking her, "...Orla, is every day in the Rising Volt Tacklers fun for you?"
Orla was surprised by this but smiled as she replied, "Hmm? Of course; it's always a blast hanging out with you all! Sure, it does get rather tedious to deal with at times but I always make the most out of it."
"...Still, why did you decide to travel with Friede and Cap?"
"Hmm? Did I not tell you that?"
Liko sheepishly tilted her head as she mused over her oversight, "I never asked, actually..."
"You remember me telling you, Roy, Sarah, and Race that I moved out to Hoenn and my childhood with him, Johnathan, and Diane? The seaport I worked at was fun and the work I did was rewarding. My coworkers were all a joy to work with, too, and for a while, I felt fulfilled. For the most part, my job was stress-free and very nice to deal with. But, sometimes, whenever I work or look around the shipyard after a long day, I thought to myself, 'Is this what I really want out of life? Is the job I have right now the most important thing to me? What is it that I really wanted to do?'. That was when Friede contacted me one evening and made his offer the next day: convert his old man's ship into the Brave Olivine... I thought he was crazy but his words lit a flame in my heart that I could never have imagined up to that point. I had no idea if I could pull it off but the only way to know if it is possible is to do it and try my luck. It was the simple fact that Friede's words sparked everything up for me. But, in a way, I felt as though I always wanted to put my skills to the test; I just needed the right venue to showcase my talents. And, after I had finished converting the ship to the Brave Olivine, I realized something, namely, what I really wanted to do with my life..."
"What you really wanted to do?" Liko asked in surprise.
"Right, I realized that what I want-" Orla began before Roy and Fuecoco's screams cut her off as the girls and Sprigatito noticed them being chased by the Galarian Weezing that still had a bone to pick with them for the bump on its second head.
Their screams got the others' attention as they filed out of the Pokeball Factory and saw what was happening, leaving Race to call out, "Roy?!"
"Roy, Fuecoco?" puzzled Liko as the young girl blinked at him and his partner.
"Is that the Pokémon Khana mentioned?" added a bewildered Orla as Sprigatito jumped out of her partner's arms and rushed over to their friends.
"Sprigatito!"
"What is that thing?!" cried Chili in alarm as she, Crest, and Rosie noticed the Galarian Weezing behind Roy and Fuecoco.
"It's a Galarian Weezing!"
"Was it living in the outskirts nearby?!"
"And, if those two clowns made it mad judging by that bump on its head, it knows we're here!" yelped Timburr, Woobat, and Roggenrola in fright, seeing how angry the wild Galarian Weezing was.
"Roy! What did you do?!" Sarah gasped in shock as the Galarian Weezing fired smoke from its stacks at Fuecoco and made a direct hit on him, forcing Roy to carry him to the others as he was left dazed and confused from the attack.
"Sprigatito, use Leafage!" Liko shouted, having her partner use Leafage to defend the pair only for the Galarian Poison Gass Pokémon to tank the Grass Type attack and counter with Mud Shot which managed to hit the spunky Grass Cat Pokemon and force her back. "Sprigatito! It's a Poison Type, we're hopeless against that...!"
"What'll we do?"
"We gotta stop it!" Lillie and Snowy put in frantically.
"How are we gonna do that?" Pikachu asked.
"Metagross, let's go!" Orla shouted, immediately jumping in as she summoned her Iron Leg Pokémon and he successfully tanked Mud Shot as the Galarian Weezing set its sights on him (making him let out "Too easy"). "As expected, Poison Types are ineffective against Steel Types."
"What's going on out here?" Khana quizzed as she, Magby, Arcia, and Cam came out to see what the fuss was about only to gawk at the sight of the angry Galarian Weezing attacking the heroes with its smoke again.
"Metagross, send it flying!" Orla countered, allowing Metagross to use Rapid Spin to cancel the Galarian Poison Type's attack before he pulled off another attack upon her call. "Good job, Metagross! Now, use your Metal Claw!"
The Galarian Weezing was stunned as it had no counter to Metagross' assault when he darted at them with Rapid Spin to confuse them and unleash Metal Claw in a powerful right hook, sending it flying back to the forest as he roared, "You're...TOAST!"
"Yes," Orla smiled, satisfied that the issue with the angry Galarian Weezing was taken care of before it could hurt anyone.
"That was great, Orla!" smiled Khana in admiration.
But, the reprieve everybody felt was short-lived because they (especially Fuecoco who paled at what he saw) heard a chorus of angry yells seconds later. The heroes looked ahead of them and saw the Galarian Weezing (now sporting two bumps on both its heads) returning with a vengeance but with an angry mob of its fellow Galarian Poison Gas Pokémon. While Sarah and the others braced themselves to fight the mob and Orla, Liko, Khana, and Roy wondered what they should do as they got closer, hope soon arrived in the form of Thunderbolt of a Thunderpunch attack, a familiar pair of Legendaries in their Crowned Sword and Crowned Shield forms, and a trinket-less quartet of familiar Legendaries that struck some of the Galarian Weezing mob to stop them from advancing: Cap, Zacian, Zamazenta, and the wild Swords of Justice from the Crown Tundra (who had secretly followed them from their old home to ensure the heroes don't get into too much trouble and with their Sacred Swords and Secret Sword drawn (the female Keldeo having changed to her Resolute Form to access her signature attack)).
"Not on our watch!" smirked Cap as he, the wild Swords of Justice, Zacian, and Zamazenta stood before the angry mob, the Brave Olivine's captain's right fist crackling with electricity as he was responsible for the Thunderpunch he pulled.
"Cap!"
"Zacian, Zamazenta!"
"You guys!" Orla, Sarah, and Race blinked in surprise before they noticed Friede and Charizard flying above them as they, Cap, and the six Legendaries saw and heard the commotion from the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft.
"Cap, I'm counting on you and our legendary friends to deal with them!" Friede shouted as he scouted the area, searching for a solution to subdue the Galarian Weezing mob.
"My pleasure!" Cap agreed as he engaged in combat with the Galarian Weezing coming after him and the others, knocking out six with Thunderpunch and dealing with others heading his way.
Zacian and Zamazenta looked towards the rest of the mob coming at them and their family and friends, howling loudly to get their attention and stop them dead in their tracks. They decided to talk with them first, and if they insisted on fighting them and the heroes for the scuffle going on (spurred on by an accident they were blowing out of proportion given their anger and insulted pride), the Wolf Brothers were prepared to do what they must.
"HALT! I am Zacian, Crowned Sword of Galar, standing with my brother, the Crowned Shield of Galar: Zamazenta!"
"We do not wish to fight you! Cease this madness and tell us what has befallen you and prompted you to attack these innocents!" they ordered, stamping down their authority.
The Galarian Weezing that came towards the Two Heroes stopped in front of them but the rest continued to duke it out with Cap (as for every three he subdued, five more followed and took their place), forcing Galaxagus, Panthera, Blitz, Pikachu, and Snowy to step in and help him. This left the one with the bumps on both of its heads to rant at them while the others behind it shared its sentiments.
"Stay out of this, you two! Even if you are the Crowned Sword and the Crowned Shield, this matter is too personal for gentlemen such as you to deal with yourselves! That insolent brat conked me with a Pokeball on wheels and one of his accomplices with the Metagross assaulted me!" the Weezing snapped.
"Blowing simple accidents out of proportion will not help solve the problem before us!"
"Nor will fighting back for a simple misunderstanding, what if what happened to you was an accident and none of you knew better?" Zacian and Zamazenta countered as the wild Swords of Justice nodded in agreement, sharing their own sentiments.
"Not when it concerns me and my pride, would it not! Now, step aside and allow us to teach this little Pokeball-throwing mongrel a lesson! CHARGE!" the Galarian Weezing barked back furiously before it and its fellow Poison Types charged at the heroes with loud battle cries, specifically Roy.
"Then, we have no choice but to subdue you until you listen," the wild Virizion sighed as she, the wild Keldeo, the wild Terrakion, the wild Cobalion, Zacian, and Zamazenta charged back at them, having no choice but to fight back to protect their friends and family.
Despite their combined efforts, however, the Galarian Weezing were relentless in their rage-filled assault; above the conflict while on his first partner's back, Friede could see that things were not looking good for everyone on his and Charizard's end as he saw more of the Galarian Poison Gas Pokémon in the area coming in.
"Man, there's too many! How can we get them to calm down before they-?" he sighed, gritting his teeth for a moment until he noticed the smoke pluming from the smokestack via Khana's repaired machinery and smirked, recalling something he learned about the Galarian Weezing from his and the Rising Volt Tacklers' travels and his previous research on Pokémon before calling Orla, "Of course, that's it! Orla, you and Khana put the factory's machinery on full chat!"
"Huh?! Are you saying you want Khana's machines to run faster now that they're fixed?" Orla balked, not knowing what her childhood friend had in mind.
"Exactly, work them to the bone and push them to their limits! Just long enough to help us calm the mob of Galarian Weezing down, I'm counting on you! Can you pull it off?"
Orla eyed Friede but once she saw a familiar gleam in his eyes and recalled him saying something similar as she recalled his offer to convert Ludlow's Olivine into an airship, she smirked knowingly and replied, "I won't know until I try! Metagross, Elekid, come with me!"
"Orla, what's going on?" Khana asked in confusion before she was suddenly dragged back inside the factory.
"We'll need you, too, Khana," the mechanic replied, leaving the others wondering what she and Khana were doing.
Seconds later, the two mechanics and their Pokémon were putting their all into the factory's machines with Magby (once he was informed of the danger and of Friede's idea to calm the Galarian Weezing down) going head-on with the Pokeball Maker's forge fire, Elekid sparking its circuit boards on one of the factory's other generators to boost its power input, and Metagross using Psychic to smooth out the balls that were being made and rushed out of the maker. All the while, more ornate Pokeballs were being put out at a remarkable yet alarming rate because of their efforts.
While they were overseeing the Pokeball Maker working overtime, Khana and Orla suddenly noticed it starting to overheat to the point when it could explode without warning. "Orla, the Pokeball Maker's going haywire! It won't last long if it keeps this up!" Khana warned.
"Friede, the machine's not going to hold out much longer! How long will it be until it's destroyed?!" Orla cried out to Friede through her Rotom Phone.
"Just a little more time, Orla, trust me!" the unconventional professor reassured, keeping watch of the smoke from the smokestack and waiting to see what would happen next.
Seeing that Friede was putting more of his trust in her without backing out, Orla relented and kept on working (but not without calling in additional help to finish the job), "Alright, I get it... Cam, Arcia, come over here!"
The Builder and Engineer Pups rushed back inside the factory and stood at attention as they saluted the Brave Olivine's mechanic, "What do you need, Orla, M'am?"
"Give us, Magby, Elekid, and Metagross a hand with your mechanical prowess, we'll need to have the machine working double time for what Friede has in store for the Galarian Weezing to help them cool off their smokestacks!"
"Right!" the two pups nodded as they rushed to Elekid and Metagross, pulling out their Multi-Tool and Wiring Claws to help her partners with the Pokeball Maker on their respective ends (which the Iron Leg and Electric Pokémon appreciated).
"But, Orla-!" Khana protested fearfully, wondering if something would go wrong when they least expected it.
"We'll be okay; when my old friend has something crazy on his mind and trusts me with anything, I know we'll pull through. He's got some master plan in mind for stuff like this!" Orla reassured.
Khana was fascinated by how calm her new friend was being under the pressure (since she was not even worried about her machinery exploding from the work it was being put through, especially when it was at its breaking point again) and that determination she, her partners, Magby, Arcia, and Cam showed when the Pokeball Maker imploded again before a large stream of black smoke shot out of the factory's smokestack with a loud bang.
"Just what I was waiting for!" Friede smirked knowingly as the heroes watched the mob of Galarian Weezing suddenly stop fighting them, noticing the smoke pluming from the smokestack and happily floating up to it (while feeling like they suddenly got a large craving for such smog upon seeing it).
"Hey, look! They suddenly stopped!"
"It must be because of the smoke!" gasped Ash and Lillie in amazement.
"What's going on?" asked Roy as the Galarian Weezing mob crowded around the smoke and began feasting upon it, prompting Liko to bring out her Rotom Phone to scan them and learn one important detail about them that made them stand out from their Kantonian counterparts.
"Weezing (Galarian Form), the Poison Gas Pokémon. A Poison and Fairy Type, as it consumes particles containing the air, it expels fresh clean air instead of droppings."
Everyone looked on in awe or smiled warmly at the Galarian Weezing mob eating the dirty smoke from the smokestack and expelled clean air from their top-hat-inspired smokestacks, satisfied with their fill and no longer feeling mad about the misunderstanding they were throwing a massive hissy fit over moments before.
"I get it! The black smoke from the smokestack must be what those Galarian Weezing love to eat most of all!" Liko grinned, seeing how happy the Galarian Poison Gas Pokémon were after the smoke they ate.
Orla raised an amused eyebrow at what she was seeing, knowing how crazy yet logical some of Friede's suggestions to problems such as what they went through were, "I swear; leave it up to Friede to come up with something out of the box to make everyone happy, especially with something such as wild and crazy such as that..."
Dusk fell after the Galarian Weezing mob had finished cleaning the air and was full from their unexpected meal earlier in the day, and by that time, things had calmed down again. Roy even managed to apologize to the Poison Gas Pokémon he unintentionally offended with the Catch Ball with the Poison/Fairy Type offering its own apologies for the earlier incident it sparked after attacking him and Fuecoco and ignoring Zacian and Zamazenta's previous warnings. And, with everyone's help, not only was Khana's Pokeball Maker fixed once again but it had surprisingly managed to create more than enough Pokeballs to satisfy the orders she had on her.
"There, now the air should be much cleaner, too," Orla smiled.
She then turned to Khana, recalling the offer made to her after she was given a crash course on Pokémon Mechanics 1-0-1 that morning and saying, "Khana, I'm sorry, but... I couldn't imagine myself working here even if I tried."
However, despite that, Khana wasn't upset as she smiled knowingly before handing her one of her Pokeball Maker's completed Pokeballs (which she did a touch-up on by ornating it with a few extra details to keep to its elegant leaf and flower motif) as a parting gift for her, "I understand but before you go... "
"What's this?"
"It's one of the Pokeballs I made; a parting gift, to thank you for everything."
Orla was surprised by Khana's parting gift but grinned heartily, giving her a wink as she accepted the Pokeball and replied, "Don't forget to do your daily maintenance on your machines from today!"
"And, should I forget from time to time?"
"Of course; from the ends of the earth, I'll always come back to give you the lowdown again!"
Magby and Elekid grinned at each other, knowing that their partners' friendship would last after everything they went through. But, before the heroes could return to the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft to continue on their journey, the Pokeball Smith then approached Sarah as she handed her the bag containing her family's remodeled Pokeballs.
"Thanks for everything, Sarah. You and Orla really helped me move forward after my machines were fixed," she thanked with a grin.
"You should really thank Arcia and Cam on that, Khana. But, I should also thank you; you not only helped me remodel my family's Pokeballs but you've also showed me that you're one of the most dedicated people I now know who loved doing this sort of thing no matter what lies before you. You're going to make a lot of women proud with what you're doing with your Pokeballs. And, who knows? You might even play a part in revolutionizing a brand new Pokeball someday so keep doing what you love most."
Khana just smiled at her words, "I will!"
Soon, after saying goodbye to Khana and Magby, the heroes returned to their respective ships and the pair watched as they left to return to Hammerlocke to pick up Eternatus (as Prof. Magnolia, Sonia, and Leon completed their tests on him) before dropping Hop, Gloria, and Victor off with them and bid their goodbyes to the group before returning to Paldea.
In the Brave Olivine's engine room (joined by Sarah, Arcia, and Cam) Liko asked Orla what it was she wanted to do after meeting Friede again and the Brave Olivine was born before the incident with the Galarian Weezing mob occurred and the mechanic responded, "What I wanted to do, you say? Well, you could say...I wanted to do stuff I've never done before."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, sure, the going does get tough but I figured if I got on this ship, I'd have plenty of 'firsts' to do. I'd have the chance to do things nobody has ever done before. After all, didn't you do the same thing when you, Sarah, Race, and their family met us and reunited with Asha's grandparents that night after Friede brought you over from Indigo Academy?"
Liko gasped in surprise, recalling her and her best friends' first meeting with the Rising Volt Tacklers and all the stuff they did no other kids or young adults had ever done before and musing, "...You know, maybe it is..."
Her partner and Terapagos agreed with a smile before Friede and Cap called from the bridge again, "Orla, the propellers are all acting up! Mind giving us a hand in checking it out?"
"On the double!"
Then, Dot, Murdock, and Mollie piped in with their own gripes about something going wrong again on their ends, "Something's gone haywire with the air conditioning, too!"
"Orla! The stove's not lighting up in the kitchen!"
"Even the observation deck's doors aren't opening!"
Then, Roy popped in with Fuecoco, sheepishly telling the mechanic, "Sorry, Orla, I punctured another hole in the wall while practicing my throws again!"
"YOU'VE GOTTA HELP US, PLEASE!"
"Oh, my, my, my... This is quite a mess you all cooked up," Diana sighed, smirking in amusement at her granddaughter's friends just as Asha, her family, Delilah, Doug, Tsukumaro, Donna (former queen), and David arrived to hear it all.
"Okay, what did you all do this time?"
"Now, do you all see how valuable Orla is to you and the airship?" Johnathan and Diane sighed at the Rising Volt Tacklers.
"I could've sworn what the screaming was about when we came to get a dunk on you."
"But, of course, it's usually the things only mechanics had any control over," added James and Nikki.
"I wouldn't bother putting her through a lot more than she has to as was the case this morning," Tsukumaro advised firmly.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt for a few pups to give you all a few lessons in mechanics before we send them home, everyone?" suggested Delilah.
"It would do you some good if Orla's not around to help you out of a jam," added Doug while Donna (former queen) and David nodded in agreement.
"Well, since you're all in trouble and you yelped for help..." chuckled Sarah as she knowingly looked at Cam and Arcia. "Well, feel like doing one more repair job rush before heading home?"
"You...gotcha!" Arcia and Cam grinned as they said, "Big or small, I'll build it all!"
"I'm always here if you need an engineer!"
Even Orla agreed, sighing as she got her toolbox with a smile and her new Pokeball from Khana glistened from her workstation and told her friends (with Liko, Sarah, Asha, their families, Arcia, Cam, Sprigatito, and Terapagos joining them), "Okay, okay! I'll get to it, sheesh. You all need my help, right?"
To Be Continued...
