Liko - As Orla made her wishes clear, we set off once more across the skies on the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft with all of us aboard. Our goal: uncovering the mystery of the last remaining members of Lucius' Six Heroes: Lapras and Rayquaza. That said, apart from Arboliva, Entei, Kleavor, and Moltres, we don't know where they are now. For now, we spent our days eating, sleeping, and occasionally doing some intense training for the journey ahead. But, not without one or two surprises along the way, though...

It was dusk on the 27th of July; the heroes had left Galar and were now returning to Paldea to discover more clues regarding Laqua, Liko, Sarah, and Race's Terapagos Four, and the location(s) of Lucius' Rayquaza and Lapras along the way. Before leaving Galar, they had to return to Hammerlocke to pick up Eternatus as Prof. Magnolia, Sonia, their research team, and Leon had completed their tests on him, telling him they had success with his power and how he could control it. And, since they were leaving Galar, they also had to drop off Gloria, Hop, and Victor, bidding their goodbyes as the six Galar residents wished them the best of luck in their journeys and in their quest to find Lapras, Rayquaza, and Lucius and discovering Laqua.

And, as you can imagine, Eternatus was finally back with his family even though he was very blunt in his return to them...

"Yes! Ah, finally! I'm out of that stupid research chicken coop and away from those science morons! Can I go back with my pipsqueak, now?"

Despite that, Sarah was glad to have him back, and now, everyone on her end could focus on their shared main goal.

This also included a training session she is giving to Liko and Roy as they, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco were given a second chance at sparing against Snivy and Oshawott on the Brave Olivine's Wing Deck. And, as was the case throughout some of their previous training battles together, Charizard, Friede, and Cap took part in it as judges and referees.

"Sprigatito, use Leafage!"

"Fuecoco, use Flamethrower!" Liko and Roy shouted, making the first moves as their partners unleashed their special attacks on Snivy and Oshawott (who had been using Double Team since the sparring match began), eliminating their doubles before they dodged and ran toward Fuecoco.

"Hey!" the male Fire Croc Pokémon cried out as Oshawott got in his face with a smirk.

"That all you got, kid?" sniggered the Sea Otter Pokémon before he and Snivy (who had a sly smirk on her face and winked at the baffled Fuecoco) rushed off.

"Hey, wait!" Sprigatito meowed.

"No way!" Fuecoco snapped, straightening himself before he could falter and edging for another attack.

"That's good, you catch on pretty quick. But," Sarah approved before she issued her next orders to her two Unova Starters (while her Paldea Starters, Umbreon, and his daughters watched on from the sidelines), "Oshawott, use Liquidation on Fuecoco! Snivy, Leaf Blade on Sprigatito, go!"

"Fuecoco, use Tackle!" Roy countered.

However, while Oshawott and Fuecoco charged at each other with Liquidation and Tackle, and Snivy darted towards Sprigatito as Liko's partner braced herself for the upcoming assault by her fellow Grass Starter, Roy's partner suddenly slipped on a purple liquid of sorts and he slid on his tail and back past Oshawott and towards the Wing Deck's barrier with a panicked scream. Before he could know what was happening, he crashed into the barrier and was left feeling dazed and surprised, the unexpected slip-up effectively stopping the trio's sparring match altogether.

"Fuecoco!" Roy shrieked in alarm as he rushed to his partner.

"Fuecoco! Are you alright?" asked Chili worriedly.

"That was nasty."

"Sure glad it was you crashing into the barrier today and not us," quipped Rosie and Crest with pained winces.

"But, what did he slip on just now?" Eevee pondered as everybody looked at the purple stain smudged on the Wing Deck's battlefield.

"Hey, what's this?" Liko ponderd.

"It's some kind of strange purple liquid," Roy deducted as everyone stared in confusion at the stain.

"Oh, yeah, never saw that before," Friede concurred as he also checked it out just as Fuecoco got his bearings again.

Then, he threw a small hissy fit over what happened before angrily demanding, "No fair! No, no, no, no fair! I want a do-over! NOW!"

"Cool your jets, hothead. We'll call it an evening and find out who crashed the party with that stain and your fall before we try again later, deal?" Snivy requested.

"Yeah, just be glad we had the barrier on this craft up and you didn't take a dive in the ocean below," Oshawott agreed.

"Yeah, okay, I get it. Fuecoco, let's see if we can find out who's the culprit behind your little slip-up today, alright?" Roy agreed as he soothed his partner to which he agreed.

But, as the heroes were preparing to figure out who was responsible for Fuecoco's unexpected slip-up, Cap, Snivy, Oshawott, and Umbreon felt a strange presence coming from the elevator and turned to see what it was. They couldn't see much but what the Brave Olivine captain, the two Unova Starters, and the panther-sized Moonlight Pokémon thought they could make out the silhouette of a teapot, realizing that they had an unexpected passenger aboard one of the heroes' airships.


(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)


It was nighttime and nearly everybody had fallen asleep; with Liko, she, Sarah, Sprigatito, and Terapagos took time to see Diana and told her what had happened and what Roy and Fuecoco planned to do for the night.

"And, like that, Roy and Fuecoco decided to become detectives to find out what the strange liquid is," the young girl finished as she helped her grandmother with her books.

"A mystery, eh? That sounds like fun," Diana smiled at her granddaughter.

"Mm-hmm, they haven't figured it out yet but it was fun seeing them act like this Sherlock Holmes detective guy. Oh! We're not in the way of your research, are we?"

"No, rather the opposite. It's nice that I can have time to myself while concentrating on my work but doing so while talking with you and everyone else is nice, too. The feeling I get of having all sorts of information making its way up to my brain is most enlightening; your stays are most welcome whenever you come to see me. It's rather comfortable to hear," Diana reassured, gesturing to her head and smiling at the two girls.

"Thanks, Diana," Sarah smiled back before she noticed a strange tea cup Diana had with her. "Hey, Diana, this teacup here... It's beautiful but do you want us to move it?"

"Oh, no need for that, Sarah but I appreciate the compliment. There's something I want to test it out on before I turn in for the night."

The little princess and Liko were unsure of what she meant but the girls wouldn't have time to think about that because they heard a strange clanging sound from somewhere inside the Brave Olivine which got their, Hatenna, and Sprigatito's attention.

"What was that just now?" Liko pondered.

"Curious, are you? If that's so, why not take a look around for you-know-what? You might be surprised over what you find if you do," Diana smiled again, urging them to go the detective route. "After all, what's the point in solving mysteries like a detective if you can't poke your head around such a thing and learn something new along the way?"

"Mama?" grinned Hatenna, wanting to find out where the sound came from.

"Let's go!" agreed Sprigatito, sharing her little sister figure's sentiments.

"You're right!" Liko replied as a grin appeared on her face.

"You should treat this just like how you treat the mysteries you solve about Pokémon," Diana finished, leaving the girls on a positive note as they agreed to the offer.

"Okay then, we'll see ya soon, Grandma!"

"Goodnight, Diana," they replied as they, Hatenna, and Sprigatito went off.

"Have fun, you two."

"Nighty-night!" Diana and Terapagos called as they left the observation deck.


True to what they decided after their, Liko, and Sprigatito's sparring session with Sarah, Oshawott, and Snivy abruptly ended, Roy and Fuecoco were searching around the Brave Olivine for the source of the purple liquid or a trail of it that would lead them to the perpetrator. However, they ended up high and dry as they couldn't find anything in their search.

"Hmm, no luck finding that weird purple liquid around here, huh? And, we've already searched every nook and cranny here," Roy remarked as they came to the flight of stairs leading to one of the other bedrooms or sections of the airship including the cellar and Fuecoco looked behind the flight.

But, little did the pair know that the one responsible for Fuecoco's earlier slip-up had scuttled quietly behind them and they heard a splattering sound before they turned, seeing a small figure of sorts moving around a corner and down the hallway (leaving another smudge and a trail of purple liquid behind in its wake).

"Huh? There you are... Hey, you, stop!" Fuecoco barked as he glared at the disappearing figure.

"Huh, what's up? Did you see anybody?" Roy asked before he noticed the purple liquid again, both delighted in finding their only clue and confused by how it got in the airship. "Huh, more of the purple liquid? Yes, we finally found it-! Wait, that's weird... It wasn't here a second ago."

"Wherever this leads to, our crook is nearby... Let's go!" the Fire Croc Pokemon replied determinedly as he stepped forward.

"F-Fuecoco, wait! Not on th-!" Roy yelped, only a second too late to warn Fuecoco that he was about to step on the liquid until he did just that and slid across the hallway with another panicked scream. "Fuecoco! Wait up!"

But, while Roy chased after Fuecoco to rescue him from his little slip-fest, the pair had no idea that the "crook" they were looking for was behind them the whole time, revealing itself to be a cracked teapot-like Pokémon who happily popped out and is called a Polteageist.


Meanwhile, while the rest of Sarah's family and her friends are fast asleep in their respective rooms, they have no idea they also had an unexpected stowaway in the Dragon Craft. However, it was not inside the royal airship at this time; it was on the Dragon Craft's sundeck enjoying the cool nighttime breeze before it looked over at the Brave Olivine and took notice of Liko and Sarah on its deck as they also searched for the stranger behind the purple liquid. Letting out a small but curious chirp at the pair while tilting its head, it silently flew over to the Rising Volt Tacklers' airship and landed on top of one of its roofs, staring at them from a short distance.

"No luck around here, either. Face it, Liko, this is a 'needle in a haystack' case we're with here," Sarah sighed as Pawmi scuttled past them.

"She's right, Liko," Sprigatito agreed, seeing how they weren't faring any better compared to Roy and Liko with the perpetrator behind the purple liquid from earlier.

"Yeah," Hatenna sighed as they went on their way, unaware of the stealthy little figure watching them from atop them on silent wing beats.


At the same time, the (female) Black Tea Pokemon was happily minding her own business as she floated on the airship's deck. However, she suddenly stopped when she noticed Pawmi running towards her unexpectedly since she had accidentally gotten in her way. Pawmi yelped and braced herself for the hit since she was going too fast to stop in time but luckily, in the nick of time, she managed a small shove as she continued running. But, the startled Polteageist tilted forward and turned, accidentally dropping her pot top which fell off her head and clattered on the deck, getting the attention of Liko, Sarah, Hatenna, Sprigatito, and their little "shadow" atop them.

"Was that sound...?" gasped Liko.

"The door!" Sprigatito meowed as she and the girls went to check it out only to find nothing when they arrived with Polteageist having seemingly vanished.

The two girls and Liko's partner were a little baffled by this but they suddenly heard Murdock's Rockruff barking from inside the ship coupled with the clanging sound and they went inside to find him while their "shadow" tailed them through the open door. Unfortunately, when they arrived and found Rockruff barking and growling at what was ahead of him, they looked and found nothing as Polteageist was nowhere in sight.

"But, why? HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE!?" wailed Liko, growing hopeless.

"That's weird; if someone made that clanging sound, where did it go? Strange," Sarah remarked, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.


Meanwhile, after accidentally bumping into Pawmi, Polteageist somehow got herself stuck on Muk's body as he was also going about his own business. She tried to break herself free from his moldy and sticky body to get herself unstuck and tried calling out to Muk to get him to notice her only for the friendly (male) Alolan Sludge Pokémon to reply with a sleepy yawn, making her sigh sadly as she wondered how she was ever going to get out of the mess she gotten herself into.


Unbeknownst to the Black Tea and Alolan Sludge Pokémon as well as the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers, at the same time, the second figure from the Dragon Craft had decided to explore the Brave Olivine's interior after it had lost sight of Liko and Sarah. It noticed Dot and Quaxly from the shadows and blinked its eyes at them with great curiosity as they went to the kitchen to drink some berry juice from Shuckle before they turned in for the night. Then, it heard Polteageist's cry for help, and wondering who was calling out, it began to follow the source and see what it could do just as Cap watched it slink away from its hiding spot.


Returning to Dot and Quaxly, when they arrived at the kitchen, they looked inside the refrigerator and found a bottle of berry juice only to see that it was nearly empty.

"Huh, is this all that we have left of it?" puzzled Dot, holding the bottle.

"Sorry, Partner, but you know how popular Shuckle Berry Juice can be. It can't be helped, we'll have to try again tomorrow," Quaxly replied before they heard a small creek behind them and saw Shuckle entering the kitchen. "Hey, Shuckle, buddy!"

"Aha, just the Pokémon we're looking for!" Dot stated with a grin.

"Me?" the confused (male) turtle-like Mold Pokemon puzzled at her before he was picked up and Dot plucked a straw she got from one of the drawers inside his shell and started drinking the berry juice he had from it like he was her personal juice bottle.

This didn't go well with Quaxly as he incredulously squawked at her, "GAAAHH! What are you doing, Partner?! That's not how you do it! Are you crazy, woman!? Where's your dignity, your conscience?! Our buddy's not a juicer! He's a living being! Tap drinking's a no-no with him around! Put him down, put him down, PUT HIM DOWN!"

"Hey, what's wrong with us drinking out of the tap like this?" Dot replied indignantly in the middle of his angry squawking while Shuckle could only look between them in confusion given his carefree nature.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! DO THIS THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY!"

"Oh, alright. I get what you mean..."

Sighing in defeat, the young recluse picked out two glasses and set them up for Shuckle to fill with his berry juice. And, that's just what he did as Dot prepared a straw for Quaxly's glass and the Mold Pokémon prepared one for herself.

"Will this do, Partner?"

This time, Quaxly smiled and he approved, "Much, much better!"

"Drink up, you two," smiled Shuckle, seeing them looking happy.

"Thanks a lot, Shuckle. Bottoms up," Dot replied as she and Quaxly enjoyed their juice, unaware they were being watched by Muk, a shocked Polteagiest from her spot on him, and the hidden figure from the open door. "Ahh, delicious! Shuckle's berry juice is the best drink to have on the go!"

"I could go for seconds!" agreed the Paldea Duckling Pokémon happily.

While Muk thought nothing of it (given that he and some of the wild Pokémon living in the Brave Olivine knew her and Quaxly when they first boarded) and the hidden figure tilted its head curiously at what it had seen, Polteageist (while stretching her neck over to get a better view of what the Alolan Sludge Pokémon was watching) sported a look of horror on her face after seeing the pair drink Shuckle's berry juice and hearing them sing its praises.

"Thanks for the juice, Shuckle."

"Yeah, thanks, man!"

"No problem, fellas!"

"G'night."

"Pleasant dreams," the three bantered before they turned in for the night.

"Oh, excuse us, Muk," Dot excused as she and Quaxly went past Muk to return to their bedroom while the young recluse yawned. "Time for bed..."

"No worries, Dot," smiled Muk.

"Well, Muk, see ya soon," Quaxly greeted as they left while the hidden figure continued to watch from its new spot.

"Sleep well."

The hidden figure blinked at what it saw before turning its attention to Polteageist who now tried to get herself off of Muk's body with even greater effort with the Alolan Sludge Pokémon going to bed and Shuckle doing the same as they warmly greeted each other and went to their respective spaces. But, the Black Tea Pokémon wasn't about to let what she had seen go unpunished in her eyes and she tried to go after Shuckle. Feeling bad for the Ghost Type, the hidden figure went up to her and silently pried her off, surprising her as she felt something slip onto her handle and tug her gently off Muk's body.

She hovered in confusion for a moment as the hidden figure that saved her quietly slipped away, not seeing anything in front of her before she was eventually grabbed by none other than Cap.

"Aha! So, you're the little stowaway I saw earlier this evening. I could hear you clanging and screaming from the bridge," he smirked at the Black Tea Pokémon, making Polteagiest smile sheepishly at him over being caught before...

"Oh, sorry, I just-oh! Hey, you!" she began before she suddenly remembered Shuckle, glaring at him while he went to his usual spot to sleep (effectively ignoring him as he crawled his way to the doggie door). "HEY, I'M TALKING TO YOU, MISTER! Son of a-GET BACK HERE!"

"Hey. What beef do you have against Shuckle?" Cap asked, not understanding her being miffed at the Mold Pokémon as Muk noticed the Black Tea Pokémon and could only watch the scene before him awkwardly.

"What beef do I have? He thinks he's so good, I want to battle him to see who's best between us!" Polteageist snapped as she accusingly pointed at the carefree and harmless Shuckle and did a little shadow boxing, wanting to prove who's the best in drinks between them (since Dot and Quaxly's liking for his berry juice was a gut-punch to her personal pride as the Black Tea Pokémon).

Cap was intrigued as he smirked at her (their conversation getting the hidden figure's attention as it peeked through the crack in the kitchen door and watched on quietly), "A battle for who's the best, eh?"

"More than anything!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes...!"

That was all Cap needed to hear as he called to Shuckle, "Hey, Shucks!"

"Hmm? What's up, Cap?" Shuckle asked, turning to Polteageist and the Brave Olivine captain.

"Our little stowaway here wants to challenge you to a battle," Cap smirked, pointing Shuckle to the battle-ready Polteageist who kept throwing shadow punches at him.

"A battle? Ooh, goodie!" Shuckle grinned before he crawled his way back at a slow pace despite his eagerness to battle who would become a new friend, prompting Snorunt (who woke up and also watched the scene play out before him and Muk) to come up from behind the Mold Pokémon and push him over.


All the while, the hidden figure tilted its head at the Pokémon, wondering what they were about to do even though it became clear to them that Polteageist was challenging Shuckle to a Pokémon battle.


With Liko, after Sarah decided to return to the Dragon Craft to go to bed, she and Sprigatito were also preparing to hit the hay and continue their investigation for who was behind the clanging sound and the purple liquid tomorrow (with Hatenna already fast asleep in her jacket hoodie on the coat rack).

"Oh, well, we didn't find out who was making that sound or what it was. But, I guess it wouldn't hurt for us to try again tomorrow, right?" she smiled at her partner as she stroked her who gave a small yawn in reply before the young girl turned off the light and tucked herself in. "Goodnight, Sprigatito."

"Night, Liko," Sprigatito purred quietly as she slept.

However, no sooner did they start to drift asleep that they were immediately startled awake by the clanging sound again now that everything in the Brave Olivine had gone silent. Surprisingly, as they were jolted awake by the clanging sound, the sound didn't even leave Hatenna twitching as she continued to sleep from the young girl's jacket hood.

"Did you hear that?"

"I did."

Creeping from their bedroom and hearing the clanging sound for a third time (but much louder), Liko and her Grass Cat Pokémon decided to investigate again and finally figure out who was making that racket. At the same time, Roy and Fuecoco called it a night, preparing to head for bed as they were completely unsuccessful in their investigation over who was responsible for the liquid that the Fire Croc Pokémon kept slipping on.

"All night, we've been going through your slipping and sliding routine everywhere we found the purple liquid, buddy," Roy sighed sheepishly as he held his partner in his arms.

"That wasn't my fault! Cut it out, okay?!" Fuecoco ranted as he brooded in Roy's arms.

"That's why I'm holding you on the way back to bed, it's so you won't slip again. Why don't we try again tomorrow? We'll have better luck by then."

"Fine..."

However, as they rounded a corner, the adventurous pair suddenly found...

"The liquid!" breathed Fuecoco in shock.

Roy was also surprised but grinned with anticipation at his partner as he asked him, "Fuecoco, do you mind waiting until tomorrow to solve this mystery?"

"Not happening!"

"Me, neither!"

And, after sharing a knowing grin between them, the pair went inside the Brave Olivine to follow the trail of purple liquid and finally discover the source behind it.


Meanwhile, Quaxly was now wide away as he left Dot's room and prepared to head inside the cellar (where there was a small splodge of purple liquid leading to it), looking back to ensure nobody was following him nor if Dot woke up to keep an eye on him or drag him back to bed.

"Quaxly?"

"BWAAAAH!"

Suddenly, the Paldea Duckling Pokémon was accidentally jump-scared by Liko and Sprigatito who were surprised to see him wide awake and not in bed with Dot.

"What are you doing, staying up late at this hour?" puzzled the young girl.

"Nothing," Quaxly replied, trying to look innocent as he turned away.

"Nothing-nothing...?" Sprigatito glowered suspiciously, making him sweat as he tried not to answer.

"Liko?"

"I DIDN'T DO IT!"

Then, they turned to find Roy and Fuecoco joining them, sharing Liko's surprise as he saw their friends wide awake at this time while the young adventurer remarked, "Sprigatito, Quaxly?"

"Roy, Liko, Sprigatito, Quaxly, Fuecoco?"

Finally, they were all given a jumpscare by Sarah (who was in her pajamas and joined by Blitz, Rosie, Chili, and Quaxly (who all had nightcaps on them), Larmina, and Topaz) as she arrived to check up on Liko and Roy and saw them together.

"What are you doing awake at this time? You're all supposed to be in bed," she chastised.

"Ditto, it's too late for you to play 'Sherlock Holmes' or have a midnight snack right now," Blitz agreed as Rosie, Chili, and Crest yawned.

"Good grief," Quaxly sighed before they all heard the clanging sound again coupled with a sharp bang from a hard surface.

"What was that just now?!" gasped Roy quietly before they saw the purple liquid again that led them to the Brave Olivine's hold.

What's even stranger is that the twelve of them heard a series of energetic and excited cries from some of the Brave Olivine Pokémon so they decided to sneak inside and check it out. When they did sneak into the hold, they found themselves before a surprising sight: Noctowl, Slugma, Muk, Pawmi, Nosepass, Snorunt, Carkol, Rockruff, and Terapagos cheering for or watching Shuckle and Polteageist as they have a private 1-0-1 Pokémon battle under Cap's supervision and judgment.

"Come on, buster!" Polteageist dared at Shuckle with spirit.

"What fire... Shall we begin, Cap?" smirked Shuckle as he turned to Cap to get his approval which he did while throwing them an approving smirk and nod.

The Black Tea Pokémon grinned determinedly as she braced herself for their battle, "Right, bring it on!"

As the cheering from the Pokémon surrounding them continued, Sarah, Liko, Roy, and their group didn't know what to think, "Now, there's something you don't see every day."

"What exactly are they all doing now?"

"And, what kind of Pokémon is Shuckle fighting against?"

Curious about the stowaway who was battling Shuckle, Roy brought out his Rotom Phone and scanned the Ghost Type, "Polteageist (Phony Form), the Black Tea Pokémon. A Ghost Type; living in antique teapots, the tea that makes up its body has a distinct and enjoyable flavor."

What startled Liko the most was her Terapagos as she saw it cheering for Shuckle and Polteageist with the other Pokémon, breathing out in shock, "Terapagos?! W-When did you get-?!"

As Liko, Roy, Sarah, the six Paldea Starters, Blitz, Larmina, and Topaz watched on, Shuckle and Polteageist continued to go at each other to the cheers of everyone else surrounding them as the Mold Pokémon landed a hit and knocked the Black Tea Pokémon back, the Ghost Type refusing to give in as she steeled herself to go again.

"Ugh, lucky shot!" she growled spitefully.

"Come on, my friend, where's the fire in you? I'm just getting started," taunted Shuckle as he smirked and everyone else kept cheering for them.

"Give me your best shot!"

"Ooh? You asked for it... Here...I...come...!"

Accepting the challenge, Shuckle withdrew himself into his shell, straightened himself up, and performed Rollout which took Polteageist by surprise and allowed him to get another hit in, knocking her back a second time leaving her dazed for a moment while her top was knocked off (and dripping a bit of her black tea body to the floor while she tried to recover from the Rollout attack).

Only upon seeing how the clanging noise was made and the liquid coming from her body did Liko and Roy (and their surprised partners) put two and two together as they quietly cried, "T-That noise!"

"That liquid, too!"

"They all came from Polteageist!"

After recovering from the surprise Rollout attack, Polteageist put her top back on and growled, not being one to throw in the towel as she dared Shuckle to come at her again, "No, I'm not finished yet!"

"Well now, don't say I...didn't warn...you!" smirked Shuckle again as he readied another Rollout attack.

Polteageist blinked as Shuckle rushed at her with Rollout a second time and she braced herself for the hit, closing her eyes as she did so until...

"Eyes open!"

Cap's call for her to open her eyes did the trick as she opened them and saw Shuckle coming closer, dodging just in time while Rockruff and Cap did the same, making Shuckle crash into one of the boxes of berries that were behind them.

Everyone gasped, worried that Shuckle had hurt himself in the crash after Polteageist dodged his Rollout. But, they need no cause for concern for their carefree friend as he came out of his shell again before he looked at the Black Tea Pokémon and smiled at her.

"Nice dodge, pal," he grinned, much to everyone's delight and Polteageist's surprise.

The Ghost Type didn't know what to think until she snapped back to reality and glared at Shuckle, ready to fight again until Terapagos happily called out to her, "No need, Ms. Poltea! You won, that was great!"

"You got some spunk in ya, Little Lady!"

"Most exemplary battling, Madam!" agreed an impressed Muk and Noctowl before the others joined in, all singing their praises for her battle against Shuckle as she had earned everyone's respect.

"Y-You mean...?" the Black Tea Pokémon inquired, overwhelmed with joy as she looked at the Brave Olivine Pokémon with her.

"Yep, you won," Cap approved with a smirk.

"I-I... I won?"

Shuckle agreed as he told her, "Fair and square."

"I... Oh, thank you... Thank you all, I'm so...HAPPY!" cheered Polteageist as she used her signature move, Teatime, to celebrate the occasion and thank them for their kindness.

Everyone watched in awe as she used Teatime to make music and pour everyone cups of her tea, Pawmi being the first to test it out as she sniffed the tea in the cup she was given and fawned over it.

"...So good!" she peeped as her eyes twinkled and her cheeks blushed.

"Cool..."

"This is the best drink I've ever had...!"

"Perfection!"

"Perfect!"

"It's awesome!" Terapagos, Muk, Nosepass, and Carkol grinned happily over their tea.

"I wish I could have some..." sighed Slugma before Noctowl offered him a berry and he grinned. "Oh, yeah! That's perfect, too!"

"Delicious, I could go for seconds of this stuff!" Rockruff barked excitedly in agreement.

"That's great...! But, this isn't a party without...!" Shuckle grinned as he withdrew to his shell and brought out some berries for everyone to enjoy, making them all cheer, "BERRIES!"

With that, the tea party to celebrate Polteageist's victory and earning everyone's respect began while Liko, Roy, Sarah, and their Pokémon with them could only smile warmly at the welcomed Black Tea Pokémon.

"They're all having fun over there with their new friend!"

"Yeah, you've been doing all this for us, especially while our backs are turned, huh?" grinned Liko and Roy.

"Mmm... Come on, guys! Let's party!" Quaxly urged his Pokémon friends, running over to join the others with Sprigatito, Topaz, Fuecoco, and Larmina joining in without hesitation.

"Well, maybe just for one night," sighed Blitz with a smile as Rosie, Chili, and Crest agreed and the quartet hurried over to join in the fun.

"I'll pick you all, Larmina, and Topaz up tomorrow," Sarah chuckled in amusement at her son, Paldea Starters, and Terapagos Two.

"I want in, too!" Roy smiled as he prepared to go after the Pokémon before Liko and Sarah stopped him.

"Wait, Roy, let's give them some alone time tonight," Liko urged.

"Huh? How come?"

"Think about it, Roy; you two just discovered that the mysterious noise and the purple liquid came from your crew's newest member when she hitched a ride on this airship, right? Well, it's only fitting nights like tonight is their time to shine; a time when Pokémon like them, Blitz, my Paldea Starters, Larmina, and Topaz can get together and do what they enjoy most. I'd say this is their equivalent of a Pokémon Night or a sleepover just for them," Sarah clarified, still smiling at the Pokémon before them.

"I see. You're right, let's go," Roy smiled back.

Knowing that it's best to let the Pokémon have their time and allow them to do what they love most after getting together, the three humans quietly left them to return to bed just as the hidden figure crept into the hold after they had gone and watched from the entryway, seeing how much fun the Pokémon were having with the new inclusion of Polteageist.

The Black Tea Pokémon watched as her new friends happily enjoyed themselves before Shuckle came over and offered her a berry, "Sitrus Berry?"

"Oh, thank you!" she grinned, accepting the berry as they clinked berry and cup together, "Cheers!"

The two friends enjoyed their refreshments and laughed heartily before Cap came over and raised his right fist, proudly telling the Ghost Type, "Polteageist... Welcome to the team."

"Really?! Thank you!" Polteageist grinned as she performed the Rising Volt Tacklers' secret handshake and everyone formally welcomed her to the crew, spinning while spilling her tea and getting in the moment. "You guys are the absolute best!"

Of course, this resulted in Fuecoco accidentally slipping on her tea again and everyone else scrambling to catch him but they all laughed it off as they knew it was all in good fun since they were all friends.

"That's how we do things! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! You're gonna love having out with us, Polteagiest!" grinned Shuckle to the surprised Ghost Type as he laughed.

"I... I will!" grinned Polteageist happily, knowing she would enjoy her new life with her new friends from tonight as their tea party continued.


"Morning, everyone! Time for breakfast!" Roy called as everyone filed on the Brave Olivine's Wing Deck and the Dragon Craft's sundeck (while a barrier was put up to ensure that nobody fell off from the latter's sundeck) for an outdoor breakfast the next morning.

This time, along with the wild Swords of Justice, some members of Sarah's family were on the sundeck and the rest decided to join the Rising Volt Tacklers (including Sarah who joined them to see if Blitz, Rosie, Crest, Chili, Topaz, and Larmina enjoyed themselves from their sleepover with their friends from the RVT) for breakfast for a change.

Amongst both groups were a newly evolved Rosie, Chili, and Crest - now a Floragato, Crocalor, and Quaxwell after their night out with their friends.

Also, a Ceruledge was amongst them, belonging to the little princess; however, unlike Amethio's Ceruledge, while it is a male, he had more honor and was more dignified in battle AND he was a good match against the Swords of Justice given their common weakness to Ghost Types.

"Here you go, guys," smiled Liko as she and Roy handed Metagross, Chansey, Wattrel, Elekid, Alcremie, Hatenna, and Quagsire their bowls of Pokemon food and berries while Sarah and Murdock fed some of her family members joining the RVT, Squawkabilly, and Arcanine.

But, as the little princess joined Liko and Roy, the trio discovered that apart from Blitz, Chili, Crest, Rosie, Larmina, and Topaz, Noctowl, Slugma, Muk, Pawmi, Nosepass, Snorunt, Carkol, Rockruff, Quaxly, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Shuckle, Polteageist, and Terapagos had fallen asleep as the morning broke since the group stayed up all night partying with the Black Tea Pokémon (something they could only smile at given what they've seen the night before).

Soon, Friede, Charizard, and a wide-awake Cap arrived to join everyone on the Wing Deck as the unconventional professor greeted, "Good morning, everyone!"

"Morning, ya'll," grinned Cap.

"Good morning, Friede."

"Hey, Friede, look at this!" Liko and Roy greeted as the latter pointed Friede and Cap to Polteageist.

Seeing the newest member of the Rising Volt Tacklers amongst the sleeping Pokémon in front of them, Friede and Cap smiled as the former replied, "Oh, I guess we have a Polteageist joining the crew."

"What do you mean by 'guess', anyway?" Roy asked in disbelief.

"We got ourselves a traveling new crew member, what's there to be surprised about?" Friede chuckled as he and Cap went to the dining table and examined the food Sarah and Murdock prepared for breakfast. "Mmm, looks good."

Liko and Roy were speechless as they could only say, "D-D-Does that mean... Friede actually knew about Polteageist joining us all along?"

"Maybe..."

"I don't see what the fuss is compared to you two; it's not that big of a deal if you don't think about this sort of thing too much and ruin your brains over it," Mollie told them matter-of-factly.

"She's right, you know."

"Agreed," Orla and Cap agreed while Sarah shrugged at the baffled young trainers with her.

"No matter what the type of Pokémon and how they come aboard, small stuff such as what you found out doesn't matter; anything goes as long as everyone's comfy and having fun. That's how things go for all of us on the Brave Olivine, ain't that right, Cap?" Murdock concurred.

"Truer words never spoken," Cap smirked in agreement, getting a laugh out of the friendly cook just as a loaf of bread started floating on its own followed by a small warble that took everyone awake by surprise.

"Hey, wh-who's there?" Murdock blinked in bewilderment.

Seeing this, Peacock (who was with Bolt, Blue, Red, and Race on the Rising Volt Tacklers' side for breakfast) chirped at the warble and gently walked over to the source. She then sniffed the air and gave off a happy chirp before nuzzling what looked like a small but empty space before her; the space shimmered and moved before it revealed itself to be a camouflaged (female) Featherhide (a small dragon whose scales boasted a mesmerizing blend of cobalt blue and forest green with cerulean and jade flashes dancing across her form, sticking out against her feather crown as each feather was tipped in hues of a vibrant azure and emerald).

Everyone gasped in awe at the small dragon but were even more astonished to see a second male Featherhide with the first female (the male's scales being purple and blue under the sunlight and with a feathered crown sporting shades of a magnificent shade of purple and a vibrant shade of sapphire) after Peacock found him.

The Featherhides squeaked in fright over their being found and darted off to find somewhere to hide; ironically, while the female Featherhide came to a startled Lazuli and curled around, the male Featherhide noticed Dot appearing on the Wing Deck to join everyone gathered for breakfast and went over to her, starling the young recluse as he did so.

"Whoa! Uh-Hey! What's going-?! Wah! Hu-Whoa...!" she cried, completely taken aback before she got a good look at the dragon with her.

"...Was it something we said?" Roy blinked as Quaxly woke up and noticed the male Featherhide with his human partner before waddling over to look at the tiny dragon.

"Oh, no... They're scared of us after Peacock found them," Liko realized, seeing how scared the Featherhides were as they stuck with Dot and Lazuli and refused to move with all eyes trained on them.

"Is that so? Come on, it's okay, you're alright. We're not gonna hurt you, there you go," the swordswoman replied before she looked at the female Featherhide and soothed her as it slowly moved and looked at her with its widened blue eyes.

With Dot and Quaxly, they looked at the male Featherhide, looking into his ocean blue eyes as it eyed them curiously.

Dot was awestruck by the male and his eyes, breathing in amazement, "Amazing..."

"Hey, kid, mind filling us in on what these babies are?" Lazuli quizzed Sarah, pointing at the female Featherhide with her.

"Race and I know of those two; they're called Featherhides just like Peacock, they're usually shy and cautious and use their camouflage ability to observe anybody that catches their attention albeit quietly and from a distance. Of course, they stay that way until they grow comfortable in the presence of others. Since they're usually secretive due to their shy nature, they're very curious and are drawn to creatures and objects that are new and interesting to them," the little princess replied.

"Looks like you two made their day," Race told Lazuli and Dot, seeing how the male and female Featherhides took a shine to the pair.

Quaxly looked at the male Featherhide as he grinned at him and smiled, putting his fins on his hips as he remarked, "Well, I guess he won't be too much of a problem as our new roommate. And, it'll be great to have someone else for us to talk to and help us with our videos."

"W-Wh-Wait, are you seriously okay with having a dragon live with us?" Dot spluttered as her partner shrugged, giving her only a small wink and a smile.

"Well, who are we to argue? Besides, like Quaxly, he chose you, Dot. And, how can you go wrong with him? He's got your and Quaxly's colors so he's a perfect fit for you two, maybe he can help you two go big with your Nidothing videos," Sarah chuckled, shrugging at the pair as the male Featherhide began to smile brightly at his new owners and friends and nuzzle the young recluse's legs (being more comfortable around her).

"That's very true," remarked Diana as she and everyone else (including a tearful and proud Murdock) smiled for her and Quaxly for having another new friend.

"But, I wonder how they got around without being noticed last night," Liko pondered.

"Don't know; how they appeared is beyond us but maybe they had been watching us until they laid their eyes on Lazuli and Dot and watched over them without any of us realizing it," Race suggested before Friede took a drink from a peculiar teacup before he spat out what was on it in bewilderment and shock.

"Pfffft! Pfft-ugh! W-What is-uh?" he began, coughing from the taste before he and everyone else suddenly noticed the teacup floating in the air.

The teacup opened its eyes and curiously looked at them, prompting Sarah and Murdock to gasp, "A Sinistea?!"

"But, how is it-?!"

At this, Diana gasped with wonder as she grinned in delight, "Ah! It finally worked! It looks like Polteageist has taken a keen eye for my favorite!"

"Worked? Grandma-ah!" Liko began until she recalled her and Sarah seeing the teacup from the night before and flustered, "Grandma, was that the teacup you told Sarah and I you were going to test something on last night?!"

"Of course! One thing about Polteageist is that they create their kin through cups like this," Diana grinned at her granddaughter.

"Then, that means...?"

"That's right!" Sinistea replied cutely before it floated over to Polteageist-its mother-before it yawned and happily slept with her while everyone watched on, smiling warmly at them.

To Be Continued...