Days passed since Diancie and her friends met the heroes and joined forces with them and it is now August 3rd in the Paldea Region. Before taking time to explore the rest of the region, the heroes made a beeline for Sarah, Asha, and Race's penthouse in Cabo Poco where everyone was given the lowdown about the place Sarah herself created. Everyone who didn't know about the original dome back in Alola gasped at the second dome's interior she had created via the Atmospheric Charms and the Undetectable Extension Charm.

"Wow! Look at this place, it looks so much like Cerise Park back at Prof. Cerise's laboratory but much bigger from the inside!"

"That's all because of the Undetectable Extension Charm and the Atmospheric Charms Sarah learned to house her mythicals, dinosaurs, dragons, and our new friends," Goh and Ash remarked, the former gawking in shocked awe and the latter grinning at his research buddy.

"¡Increíble! ¡Este lugar es tan gigantesco por dentro!"

"I never thought a dome such as this one could be so expansive with a touch of unexplained or explained magic..." breathed Nemona and Arven, awestruck.

"And, she made all this with magic you taught her, Mr. Wong?" Penny quizzed Tsukumaro in fascination.

The old advisor nodded in confirmation as he told her, "The Undetectable Extension Charm is the reason the interior of the dome is expanded drastically without changing anything within it in the process and the Atmospheric Charms allowed her to make each environment and the weather in each of them adequate to her the basic needs of each group of inhabitants from our ever-expanding family. Along with the princess, her husband and I are capable of the same thing and we're teaching the rest of her family to learn the magic arts as of now."

"I've never expected a dome's to be as large as this with a little magic," Dot admitted quietly in amazement, becoming more of a believer of what Sarah and her family were capable of thanks to Tsukumaro's magic.

"This place is absolutely breathtaking," Diancie grinned in awe as she watched her friends settle into their chosen areas including Rayquaza (whom Sarah nicknamed Stormy).

With her bodyguards, her Shiny Glastrier chose to stay in the snowy environment with his fellow Ice Types while her Shiny Spectrier decided to join the rest in the forest environment. Lola and Sarah's Lapras preferred to be in the central lake alongside Diancie's Suicune friend and Kyogre (who recalled his and Lugia's saviors upon meeting them again and was more than happy to help in their plight against the Explorers).

As for Marena, she decided to let Lapras, Entei, Kleavor, Arboliva, and Moltres out so they could make up for whatever family time was lost between them as well as get to know their allies better. Like everyone else, the five Ancient Pokémon were thunderstruck over the new Pokémon Dragon Heart Dome including its environments specially designed for them and their fellow Pokémon.

"I can't believe something as mundane as a giant dome could be like this a touch of Hogwarts magic. If this kind of magic was possible, imagine the good we could do with it for Pokémon sanctuaries," Mollie remarked, amazed by what she saw.

To emphasize her point, everyone looked around the environments and other areas in the dome and saw how their inhabitants were getting on:

- Over at the training area, Ziracon, Proud, Tyranitar, Cindy the Spinda, Flapple, Thievul, Liepard, Heliolisk, and Baxcalibur along with the Jungle Guard, the Lycanroc Four, and Snowflake and her family were going through an intense training regime with Friede and Cap

- Dot looked over at the rainforest section to find Zweice, Panzeus, Ochotony (Fighting Form), Elklace, Permafrost, Aurequine, Infernhound Thunderailer, Race's Armarouge, Lapis, Vulcan, Sabre, Sally the Spinda, Thora, Torch, Blaze, Cocoa, Tou-Tou, Raksha, Rama, Bella and Robbie relaxing within the sunlight peeking through the trees with Sally watching over Garnet

- Roy and Liko took note of all of Sarah's Flying Pokemon (and Pokémon capable of flying) - Serpent, Koraidon, Flygon, Dragonite, Hydregion, Latios, Latias, Salamance, Kaji, Amber, Breezeon, Ghost (Dragapult), Altaria, Claudia, Duke, Duchess, Mew, Nebby, Nebula, Seth, Reshiram, Cresselia, Eternatus, Tao, Lucifer, Nitro, Taloneflame (Shiny), Polar, Ivory, Ivy, and Swirl), Delosky, Gryphincent, Opal, Rompiregon, Varokuna, Tuliza, Brave (Hisuian Braviary), Spherialla, Panthagle, Frosmoth, Noctowl, Braviary (Shiny), Beautifly, Hootie, and Flynn flying together with Race's Flying Pokemon - Gulie, Gorie, Calculator, Falcon, Kit, Ella, Orpheus, Chrome, Cascade, Miraidon, Athisua, and Iron Moth.

As it can also hold the royal couple's mythicals, said creatures were seen together in the forest area, allowing the pair to see just how big Sarah and Race's respective teams/families really were. The sight of such incredible creatures made them, their new friends, and the Rising Volt Tacklers realize just how big of a world truly was, how many wonders it had to offer in addition to what they'd witnessed, the adventures they'll have in the future, and how much they all had to learn as people and Pokémon trainers.

"Look at them, they're all looking pretty chill and happy living here together," Roy smiled warmly.

"You know, I gotta say... For a young woman of her type, Sarah knows how to make a home for everyone from mythicals to Pokemon and dragons alike," Friede smirked as he and Cap joined the pair and their partners.

"She's got guts making this bad boy of a dome," agreed Cap, impressed.

"Way cool!"

"Very cool!"

"Groovy cool!" Fuecoco, Sprigatito, and Quaxly grinned before Ogerpon came scurrying into the dome, panting frantically.

"Help, poi! Tsukumaro, poi! Everyone, poi! HELP, POI!" she squealed.

"Ogerpon!"

"What's wrong, Ogerpon?" Kieran and Carmine asked, feeling concerned.

"Sarah suddenly sick, can't get out of bed, poi!"

Everyone was shocked by the news and before long, they made their way to the little princess' bedroom where they found her being cared for by Audino, Blissey, and Wigglytuff and her mother as she had a run a fever designated by a faint red line across her head while she laid in bed. They could see she was coughing and sneezing erratically and the three Nurse Pokémon in question and Delilah wearing gloves and face masks to shield themselves from her coughs and sneezes.

"What happened to her?" gasped Roy.

"Maybe it's just a bad cold she got, something like the flu."

"She probably collapsed from exhaustion; I remember hearing some movie stars suffering from that all the time when they have a lot on their plates and don't get enough rest every now and then," Liko and Giacomo suggested.

"...I can hear you, you know-ACHOO..."

A series of erratic coughs and small groans came from Sarah as she tried to get out of bed only to be gently forced back into bed by Kiawe, Lana, and Lillie who immediately came over and set her back down before she could strain herself.

"By the way... Morning..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey! Sarah, what are you doing? Don't get up."

"What were you thinking?"

"You look terrible," they griped worriedly.

"What happened to you, Sarah?" Orla blinked, looking concerned at her while she blew her nose into a tissue.

"Do you want the short answer or the long answer?"

Delilah frowned as she answered for her daughter (checking the thermometer she had given her as she did so), "My daughter's been training for the past three days with no break in between and got herself in such a sorry condition. Nikki and James told us that she caught what you call 'the flu' and based on what Wigglytuff, Blissey, Audino, and I found, in her condition, she's not going anywhere until her fever breaks."

She then glared at Sarah as she gently chastised her, "I warned you about pushing yourself to your limits like that but you didn't listen to me as I'd hoped."

"Aww, Mom... I have at least-ACHOO-13 new forms to learn, upgraded weapons to-ACHOO-master, and now-ACHOO!"

"My point exactly, young lady. Either way, until your fever breaks and you promise not to overexert yourself from now on, you are staying in bed this minute."

"But, Mom-ACHOO! I can't stay in bed, I have to get everyone's breakfast and lunch ready and-ACHOO!"

"But me no buts, you need to make sure you're taking care of yourself as well as your friends and our family, sweetheart. You need to be in good health and know your limits so you don't end up in a sorry state again! And, right now, with how you're straining yourself with your fever still hot, you're not doing yourself any favors!"

"Your mother's right, Sarah, just take it easy for today. You've done so much for all of us, and now, it's our turn to look after you and your family."

"Yeah, kick back a bit, little lady," Friede and Cap reassured as Sarah coughed.

"Friede's got a point; you don't have to worry about your family for today. We'll look after them and get their meals ready for you," Liko concurred.

"I can't-" Sarah began before Delilah shushed her.

"Don't worry about it, Sarah. Besides, how crazy can things be with your family? Ash and I had to go through the same thing with all my Pokemon back at Cerise Park, and with everyone's help, we can look after your family as well as our Pokemon," Goh grinned, feeling confident despite the monumental task in front of everyone.

"...Well, okay. If you're that confident... But, if you need any reference material to help you look after them for me, my instructions will be in my Talonflame backpack in case you get stuck," the little princess sighed in defeat after a while with a curious Hatenna jumping from Liko's hood and gently toddling over to the backpack in question before she pulled out and brought over a book with the instructions Sarah alluded to.

"Present," she peeped with a cute smile as she held the book.

Petunia babbled and cooed with great concern for Sarah until Lazuli came over and gently picked her up, telling the little princess, "Chill, kiddo, leave your kiddies to us. We'll have no problem giving them playdates for today."

Liko shared Lazuli's sentiments as she looked at Terapagos playing with Larmina and Topaz, "Yeah, try not to worry too much, Sarah. We'll watch them for you until you're better, promise."

Sarah nodded slowly before looking at her mother again and asking, "Mom... Can you get Dad, Granny, Gramps, Sis, her family, the Kwamis, the Renlings, Mei Shi, and Tsukumaro so they could-COUGH-COUGH-give them a hand-COUGH?"

"Of course, dear. Now, you lie still for today while I look you over. And, please, don't do anything crazy in the meantime," Delilah nodded soothingly as she gently kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Sarah rest, poi," cooed Ogerpon in agreement as she placed a cold wet rag on her master's goddaughter's head, deciding she would help look after her on his behalf.


(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 Melon; 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)


Liko - In a surprise twist to our adventure, Sarah got sick with the flu after working too hard on her training. Now, while she's in bed with only Delilah and Ogerpon looking out for her until her fever breaks, it falls onto me, Roy, and everyone else to take care of the rest of her family. So, while they watch over our best friend, we all decided to cover her duties to them together, with a little help, of course...

Minutes later, everything had been arranged, and once the others had been told about Sarah and the flu, everyone agreed to share the bulk of her responsibilities with her family as well as their own:

- For Murdock, he would handle the day's meals for them with the assistance of Mallow, Tsareena, Shaymin, Danny, Danielle, Sass, Kalkki, and Tikki

- Audino, Blissey, Wigglytuff, Lana, Lillie, Trixx, Wayzz, and Pollen would give Mollie a helping hand with their medical examinations

- Friede and Cap agreed to handle their training sessions

- Goh, Liko, and Roy (with the help of Dot, Penny, Arven, Nemona, Ash, Sophocles, Kiawe, Gladion, Lazuli, Barkk, Mei Shi and the Renlings and the other Kwamis (including Plagg, Nooroo, Duusu, Mullo, Stompp, Orikko, Roaar, Fluff, Longg, Ziggy, Xuppu, Orikko, and Daizzi)) decided to take up the duty of giving her family their daily washings

Of course, Penny and Dot were taken aback by the knowledge that they'd have to help care for Sarah's family while she was out sick. However, they reluctantly agreed, knowing they also owed a lot to the little princess and wanted to repay her for the kindness and help she had given them. In the meantime, the arrangements worked well for Liko since she would spend more time with the young recluse before everyone continued their search for Rayquaza. This also meant Orla and Ludlow lucked out as the mechanic had her hands full continuing the Brave Olivine's maintenance before she would join in while the fisherman would continue his quest for tranquility and enlightenment through fishing as he always had done before pitching in.

Through a short montage, the heroes in their respective groups began the day's chores, starting with Sarah's for her family with the Breakfast Bunch (elegantly nicknamed by Zorua).

With Murdock, he and his party (with the help of the Auto Food Maker) made breakfast for everyone and the rest of the group, bringing in a wagon before spreading it out evenly for everyone to enjoy.

"All set, everybody!"

"Come and get it while it's hot!" Mallow and Murdock grinned, yelping in surprise as they saw Sarah's family eagerly rushing over before they trampled over the pair (while Shaymin, Danny, Danielle, Tsarenna, Sass, Kalkki, and Tikki quickly darted out of the way and were unscathed) to enjoy their breakfast.

The pair picked themselves up but noticed how happy they were while eating, laughing off the pain before the Grass Type graduate gently brought in a plate full of masaladas for the Renlings and Kwamis to eat.

"There you go. Oh, I almost forgot! Here's some cheese for you, too, Plagg," she grinned, handing Plagg (to his delight) a plate of cheese just for himself.

"Okay, guys, bath time! Time for you to get all squeaky clean for the day!"

With Goh, Liko, and Roy, it was now bath time for Sarah's family with Goh first calling in Mudsdale, Flygon, Gerudeon, Whiskers, Andres, Gryphincent, Kurma, Tectonic, Medusa, her Shiny Tyrantrum and Aurorus, Rampardos, Fahari and Barafu (her regular colored Tyantrum and Aurorus who evolved during her, Race, and Asha's first semester at Uva Academy), Canine (her Hisuian Arcanine), Arcanine, Talonflame (Shiny), Kaji, Amber, Tepig, Cinderace, Scorch, Chili, Iron Crown, Iron Boulder, Gouging Fire, and Ceruledge.

As expected, the members in question were surprised to be called first for a bath because as most of them were primarily or partly Fire Types, Ground Types, and Rock Types, they would naturally hate coming into contact with water.

Not wanting to deal with what they see as torture, they glanced at and exchanged varying looks with each other before they suddenly bolted.

"Hey, wait! Come back! Hey! Here, stop!" Goh cried in alarm.

"Wha-?!" added Grookey, stunned.

"Oh, dear..."

"Here we go again," Inteleon and Cinderace sighed as they, Grookey, and Goh chased after them around the forest for a little while until they pulled off the old runaround to wear them out and lose them before...

"Uh-uh-uh," Nebby peeped cheekily as he used Psychic to stop them dead in their tracks.

The group in his grasp realized what the former baby Solgaleo had done and either froze or tried to break from his hold. For the ones trying to escape, it was useless as they and the rest soon saw Oshawott, Aqua, Rama, Vaporeon, Crest, Xena, and Dracovish coming over (all of them sharing Nebby's grin) before they gently sprayed them. Then, Latios, Latias, Kit, Ella, Raksha, Espeon, and Umbreon got to work on scrubing them much to their dismay.

Safe for Miraidon and Serpent and because water can't be used on them, Ponyta and Scorch cheekily rubbed down the robotic Paradox Pokémon with a clean cloth to give them a renewed sheen.

As for Sass, Long-Long, and Mullo, they easily guided the dragons in their master's care through the portable grooming stations as they gently collected the shed scales from them.

Then, Roy and Goh tried their luck with her mythicals, Nebby, and Nebula but Roy had the tedious task of tackling the pair's giant sizes as he washed them all over. Goh also had it rough as well with the mythicals as the Dircawl family playfully from one biome to the next to avoid him, the Nifflers Four kept stealing the brushes laid out for them, Wanda and Will kept on hypnotizing him to make him forget to clean them, and he didn't dare clean Rune and Hydra to begin with.

"Man! This is crazy, how on earth does Sarah even do this?!" grumbled Goh while Grookey, Inteleon, and his Cinderace felt sorry for them and Roy.

"There's gotta be an easier way to clean them from head to toe," Roy suggested as he sweated from washing Nebby and Nebula.

Wanting to offer a solution to their little dilemma, Hatenna brought Sarah's book over and showed it to the pair, making them remember that sometimes, Sarah had to use magic to clean her family whenever possible. They looked through the book, flipping to a section on how to clean her family which read that she would use the Scouring Charm to clean them before they noticed her wand leaning against her backpack and satchels.

Sharing a nod, Roy gently picked up Sarah's wand and pointed it at Suicune who curiously blinked at him before he said, "Scourgify!"

A tiny beam of cleaning magic appeared and went over to Suicune as they had hoped but it bounced off her chest and hit them instead, causing their mouths to fill up with soap and making them gag in disgust. From that little slip-up, they discovered its secondary use by magical families: to punish people who swore.

They quickly spat the soap suds out and decided to try the Scouring Charm again with another Pokémon, dragon, or mythical, not wanting to disappoint Sarah and knowing the weight of their and Liko's shared task (since Roy took the responsibilities he and everyone else had taken as an opportunity for him to get back on her family's good graces).

Their next target was Eternatus who slept in the grassland biome, thinking he could use a good washdown. But, after Roy blundered with the charm again and got him covered in soap suds, they, Fuecoco, Cinderace, Grookey, and Inteleon ended up being chased around by the irritated Gigantic Pokémon as he attempted to barbeque them. This resulted in Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Lazuli, Barkk, Mei Shi and the Renlings, Plagg, Nooroo, Duusu, Mullo, Stompp, Roaar, Fluff, Longg, Kaalki, Ziggy, Xuppu, Orikko, and Daizzi laughing at their expense when they caught wind of the chase happening before them.

On the other hand, Hiccup, Fishlegs, Astrid, Zenna, Dot, Penny, Arven, Nemona, Ash, Sophocles, Kiawe, Gladion, and Sass couldn't help but feel bad for them and their partners (especially Roy with how hard he was trying to get back on the good graces of the Alolan Royal Family).


With Chansey, Audino, Blissey, and Wigglytuff by her side and Trixx, Wayzz, Pollen, Lillie, and Lana's assistance, Mollie had completed her medical examinations on the Pokémon until Angel and Rebel happily squealed as they scampered over to the traveling doctor and nuzzled her.

"What's up, you two?" she puzzled before the Nifflers Four, Karabi, and Farleap came over to remind her that they still needed to complete the medical examinations of their fellow mythicals and dinosaurs, the dragons, and the little princess' pets. "Oh, right... Oh, boy..."


Over with Cap and Friede, the two of them looked through Sarah's book (thanks to Hatenna as she gave it to them to look over) and were floored by all the moves Sarah taught and planned to teach to her Pokémon.

They were particularly surprised by the different moves she was able to help some of her Pokémon learn including the following:

- Larmina, Topaz, and Garnet were taught Solarbeam, Rock Polish, Earth Power, Power Gem, Weather Ball, Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, Ice Beam, Aura Sphere, and Toxic through the usage of TMs

- Her Inteleon was taught to use Acrobatics, Soak, Rain Dance, Hydro Pump, Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, Water Pledge, and Hydro Cannon

- Charge Beam, Sunny Day, Twister, Electric Terrain, and Dragon Pulse became Raging Bolt's move set of choice

- Gouging Fire managed to learn Crush Claw, Morning Sun, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, and Flame Charge

- Agility, Counter, Quick Guard, and Quick Attack were the moves she taught to Iron Boulder

- Metal Burst, Quick Guard, Volt Switch, and Iron Defense proved ideal for her to teach to Iron Crown

"Good grief, look at all these moves! And, that's through trial and error from hard and diligent training and the use of TMs! If I didn't know any better, Cap, she took training her family to heart more so than you did when we first met. She really did her research on all this stuff, huh?" Freide gawked as he looked over a neatly folded list of moves stapled to one page before unfolding the list to reveal what she else had written.

"Yeah... That girl really scares me with how much she jotted down in that cluster of battle notes," Cap remarked.

"I know what you mean; now, I know why Kukui said that Sarah's the best of his students in his class at Alola's Pokémon School, she's always looking for new ways to improve herself and her family in combat and training."

Then, Friede came across a small note that details a word of caution about Iron Crown and Iron Boulder, "Hmm, what's this?"

"What's that, pal?"

"It's a word of caution Sarah came up with. It says - 'Warning: wait patiently to train Iron Crown and Iron Boulder. Due to their slightly psychotic behavior, they will try to use you for target practice.'"

"Uh... I'm sorry, what?"

Now, Friede and Cap became nervous after reading the note and they were right to feel this way because they glanced over to their left and saw Iron Boulder and Iron Crown giving them sly yet creepy smiles that would put the Cheshire Cat's smiles to shame. Whenever their caretaker was around, they always tried to be on their best behavior, knowing how firm yet harsh she would be with them and how rowdy they were. But, after hearing she was sick with the flu, they were free to have what they call "fun" which includes trying to learn new moves by using anybody around them as moving targets. In this case, Friede and Cap were the unfortunate recipients of their "games" as they ran throughout the dome, trying to get away from them.


By the time lunch rolled in at noon, and the little princess' family was finally eating, everyone else (save for Lazuli and the Circle of Twelve) plopped onto the ground, exhausted from what they had to deal with regarding Sarah's duties to them.

"For the love of Hiko Seijuro, what's gotten you all puckered out? You can't possibly be winded so soon after a few rounds with the kid's family this morning," the swordswoman remarked as she held two plates of yakisoba omelets for herself and Petunia (which they made via the Auto Food Maker while the baby dragon rode on her first friend's right shoulder).

She then turned to Ash and Goh as she snarked at the pair, "And, one of you told her it's just like how you took care of all the Pokémon you caught back at this Cerise Park place you mentioned. Do you feel that in you now?"

"At least you didn't have any Pokémon apparating all over the place, hypnotizing you, or having three heads at once!" Goh snapped with a wheeze.

"Now, we know why Sarah bothered to create the Auto Food Maker and grooming and feeding stations she has on her and why she has them on the go..."

"Ditto," sighed a winded Dot and Quaxly.

"I, I can't...take, anymore of, this," panted Fuecoco.

"How does she do it?" agreed a weary Sprigatito.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! I see, like her friends from the Pokémon School, you all learned firsthand how Little Britches' family can run you into the ground," laughed Johnathan as he, Diane, Doug, David, Donna (former queen), Nikki, James, and Tsukumaro came into the dome to see the heroes (after buying and dropping off some cold and flu medicine for Sarah).

"Ha-ha, very funny," Friede pouted.

"Not cool, Dave, not cool," agreed a worn-out yet irritated Cap.

"I don't know how Sarah does it! Her Nifflers are so adorable and tiny but they were absolute professionals at stealing things, mainly anything that shines!"

"Even her tiny birds gave us nothing but grief by teleporting all over the place, it's nuts!"

"Her Wampus Cats also wiped my memory of what happened ten minutes ago six times straight!" griped Liko, Dot, and Goh as they and everyone else with them realized how difficult the chores they performed for Sarah truly were.

"And, Iron Crown and Iron Boulder nearly shish-kabobed Cap and I in their twisted sense of 'fun' while we were working out everyone's training sessions!"

"We barely managed to escape with our lives!"

"The truth is...even with all of us together, we barely came close to finishing everything she did! I can't imagine how she does all this every day AND FOR YEARS without cracking once!" Orla exclaimed with an exasperated sigh.

Kukui and Burnet (who was feeding Lei) came over as the Alola Professor laughed and told them, "I know it's wild and taking care of a large number of Pokémon is tedious at best but all that hard work you're doing for her really helps to show us your experience as a trainer, especially since you're all so varied and diverse in your own styles. From what we've seen out of Sarah, we learned it's how she adapted to the various styles and temperaments of her Pokémon. It's how she thought of the Auto Food Maker and the grooming and feeding stations herself."

"To be honest, when Kukui had his students take his 'Raise and Switch' assignment, it was to give our baby's sister and her friends a chance to raise each other's Pokémon. It was surreal to see her without many Pokémon by her side when she looked after her friends' partners and it was tricky to deal with, at first. We were against her adding more Pokémon to our family but it became easier to care for them. It helps us cope with their abilities and skills and having meals together," Nikki added.

"We only had Lucario and Dragonite back then even after we were married years ago. But now, a part of us appreciate what she did since it's why they had gotten so strong. Our adopted ponchita balances everything she does in her life through physical and mental lengths out of love," James agreed with a small smile, rubbing Axew's head.

"Like helping us against the Explorers and attending Uva Academy?" Dot pondered.

"Yeah... And, being a princess of two worlds as we now know, a Power Ranger with the fate of the world on her shoulders, a junior cop, and a mother all at the same time?" Roy added in agreement as he and his friends were starting to realize how much pressure Sarah was under which drove her to train as she did and get herself sick for a time.

Liko couldn't help but share their sentiments as she noted, "I only noticed she used that spell to clean things to wash her family while getting her hands dirty with everything else. But, there were no other spells in her book despite being adept at magic from what we've seen."

"Magic makes life easier, it's true. But, the easy way is not always the right or best way to do anything, especially when you were training or caring for your Pokémon. Sometimes, you must learn to take the hard way to ensure the best for everyone around you. However, that mentality can sometimes lead to trouble for her which you've discovered earlier today when she became critically ill today," Chen Li added, looking between the three trainers.

Dot, Liko, and Roy looked at him in surprise as he continued, "You're no longer individuals given that you're part of something bigger now, you're all part of a team. But, teamwork is also a double-edged sword because one bad decision from one of you and the rest could spell disaster for everyone else. I hate to ask you three this but did you seriously not realize that would happen?"

"B-But, we were just trying to help protect Terapagos and Sarah along with Race and Lazuli. What were we doing wrong?" Liko gulped nervously.

Toxin joined Chen Li as he carefully added, "Look, don't get us wrong, kids. But, while it's true that you're helping to protect Sarah and our Terapagos and it's a noble thing for you to do, you're also inadvertently making her suffer."

"Huh?!" Roy and Liko balked in surprise.

"What?"

"For real?!" Sprigatito and Fuecoco balked, sharing their sentiments.

"What do you mean by that?" puzzled Dot in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Quaxly added, raising an eyebrow and sharing his partner's confusion.

Glaciel came in to add his own two cents into what his master and Toxin were trying to tell the small group, telling them, "Ever since she's met you all, she's always been the one bearing the brunt of the entire ordeal involving the Explorers and the Six Heroes. It doesn't help in your case, Roy, with how desperate and eager you were to find and battle Rayquaza; there was no way you and Fuecoco could be his match with how powerful he was. In your current state, particularly with Liko and Sprigatito, you all would've been Sky High Pokémon fodder had the rest of us let alone the princess jumped in after Amethio riled him up before he turned his attention to us upon beating him."

He sighed and added, "And, now, she's risked putting Clavell, the Uva Acadamy faculty, AND the Paldea Gym Leaders in harm's way by telling them about all this so as to prepare for the worst. That's more pressure than the girl could handle right now."

"Along with Diana and Arcanine, she, Lazuli, and Friede along with her old friends after they morphed were able to help protect you and the others, there's only so much they could do in their previous state. Knowing we were so close to death's door with how much of a frenzy he was in after Amethio's interference weighed heavily on her mind; sure, Larmina, Topaz, Garnet, and Terapagos issued a hail mary at the eleventh hour but that doesn't make it any better for her to deal with," continued Varokuna who also tagged in to help explain what they were all dealing with.

The three young trainers were left in deep thought and mused with each other, beginning to realize how much pressure the little princess had been put under since their adventures together escalated, leading to her intense training getting her sick in the first place.

Liko was intrigued as she mused to herself, "Man... She's been like that since we first met? I didn't realize how much pressure she was in all this time whenever we get ourselves tangled up with the Explorers."

Despite this, Roy didn't want to think of the worst as he tried to argue, "Oh, come on, guys. We wanted to protect Sarah and the Terapagos just as you did. But, we didn't think we would hurt her in any way. She's a natural at keeping cool and held her ground while trying to negotiate with Lapras and his pirates before we caught up with Rayquaza."

"And, what about her Viking friends including Hiccup?" Dot inquired, wondering about the Viking Teens.

This time, Rompiregon spoke up as he joined the group and said, "Vikings, true to their prideful and reckless nature, are used to putting themselves in danger without thinking twice. Hiccup and his friends are no different so it is natural for Sarah to worry about whether or not they'll come back from a fight with their heads intact. But, thanks to her and ever since they first met, they're learning to go with mind over matter without recklessly charging into battle without a plan."

"Really?" the trio balked in disbelief as they turned to the Viking Teens.

"We areVikings, we're getting better with Sarah but it's still an occupational hazard," Hiccup shrugged in response.

"Some of us doing so faster than others," Astrid chuckled as she smirked at Ruffnut and Tuffnut as they rammed themselves into trees to strengthen their bodies and build up their appetites before they could eat.

Goh felt enlightened and humbled by what he and the others did and heard as he and his partners joined them and admitted, "Boy, now I see how committed she truly is to her Pokémon. Before tagging along with all of you, I never thought about caring for them as relentlessly and passionately as she did with the Pokémon I caught back home apart from feeding and watching over them so they don't get into trouble."

Cobalt heard the conversation from where he was resting or working and jumped in, telling Liko and her friends, "She is usually calm and collected in diplomatic matters but she has since learned that she can't afford to be nice to even her worst enemy."

"You're talking about when she was forced to fight her own uncle, right?" Roy inquired, getting a nod from the male Lucario belonging to the little princess just as Amber joined him.

"He once murdered David and Donna with dark magic before Sarah and Raven resurrected them when they appeared in Adventure City and he nearly did the same to her when they first met. Given how much of a monster he was, she was forced to kill him to protect everyone she loved which resulted in her own form of PTSD," the female Charizard said.

"Whoa... Was it bad for her and her family when he was around?"

Amber nodded solemnly as she first told the stunned trainers, "When the princess was born and became her father's heir, Lothor didn't take too kindly to the news and plotted to sell her out of Alola and have her killed so he would be the one to succeed their parents with Delilah as his queen after Doug first proposed to her."

Cobalt continued the tragic story as he added, "When he and the minions he hired to help him kill his niece were caught out and banished, he took revenge by creating Team Eclipse and corrupting the original Island Guardians before the current Island Deities: Angietus and Panthagle, forcing their mother and creator-Spherialla-to bring life to Tuschowl, Mizarua, and Houratta and seal them away for the next five-hundred years. He went a step further in his plan after creating Team Eclipse by killing off David and Donna with the Wizarding World's Killing Curse, 'Avada Kedavra', initiating the Ultra Beast War and causing the guardian of Ultra Space-Necrozma-to lose his light in the battle and become the Black Beast of the Ultra Dimension."

"And, to make matters even worse, Lothor still had his eyes set on killing the princess so her godfather and her parents were forced to send her to the future and leave her in the care of Nikki and James, forcing themselves to seal that monster and Team Eclipse away in that same timeframe with Doug and Delilah making the ultimate sacrifice," Glaciel noted in solemn continuation.

"It was a hard call for them to make and it didn't help that after returning, Lothor hadn't forgotten about his former family and tried to kill her off when they met again to erase every last trace of his suffering."

"As you could tell, there was no way out for him. There was no chance of redemption for him; he lost Delilah due to circumstance and being too late to offer his hand in marriage to her and their love and Sarah's birth left him becoming the monster he was until he was destroyed by the princess' hand as well as those of all her friends and us with her family at the time of our final battle with him and Team Eclipse," Astrid and Fishlegs continued (the latter having also come up to the group to add what he and the rest knew about the events mentioned earlier).

Then, Tyson and Tai Lung joined the large party as the former said, "Look, Roy, don't take her family's silence towards you too personally, okay? They were deeply concerned for her when she was forced to step in and fight Rayquaza when he performed Dragon Ascent on all of us. Amethio may have riled him up first but your urge to challenge him to a battle AND protect him from getting hurt didn't help, especially since you were acting so impulsive earlier."

"You want to challenge Lucius' Rayquaza and prove yourself to him? That's fine but, in truth, given what we've seen, he was testing us AND our Terapagos and another challenge from us to him must be a selfless path when he's in the right mind to talk and fight on peaceful terms. It won't be easy but we must try our best for him... Listen, we can't just rush in to gang-tackle him and expect him to battle us as we please; if we're to stand a chance, if you were to have even a sliver of hope of battling him, you of all people have to learn to be more patient and vigilant," Tai Lung informed.

Cobalt nodded in agreement before he told Roy, "If you also want to get back in our family's good graces, you must understand that you and Fuecoco must become the best versions of yourselves. You need to change tactics and whatever strategies you had in mind since everything he'll throw at us next time could be a far cry from what he did to annihilate us in his agitated state."

"And, that's on top of needing to keep track of the Explorers and figure out who's going up or down since they'll still be after him, Lazuli, the princess, our Terapagos, and the rest of the Six Heroes," Glaciel finished.

Dot, Roy, Liko, and their partners were astonished, horrified, and humbled by what they had been told and even the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers couldn't believe what they had heard.

"That was...dark if I'm honest."

"Too dark for me..."

"I had no idea she and her family went through all that," Murdock, Orla, and Friede admitted.

"Now, you know why we're so protective of Sarah and what caused our daughter to be the young woman she is," Delilah announced as she and Doug along with Persian, Mischief, and the Tomoe Squad arrived.

"Our family's tragic history in the time leading up to our monarchy's original end is a series of events we don't want to talk about at present," Doug nodded.

Needless to say, Roy, Liko, and Dot now saw Sarah in a new and more vulnerable yet relatable light; the girls were shocked by what they heard and what she did before meeting them and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers while Roy (still feeling a little jealous of the little princess for her proving her worth to Rayquaza before he could) now made him realize that she didn't have it easy like many other trainers before her despite her current attitude and behavior.

Despite suffering from the mental and physical trauma she endured throughout her life since she was two weeks old, she still found the heart and love needed to care for her family and train them as a mother they never knew they had. Of course, after taking that into context when he recalled everything they had been through since he joined the Rising Volt Tacklers, he finally realized that he was inadvertently putting her through a lot of stress from his one-track mind involving Rayquaza whenever he was in his thoughts and the unintentional mistakes he made along the way. At all of this, the young adventurer couldn't help but feel guilty.

That, however, only motivated him to prepare to change himself and Fuecoco for the better; now having a firmer grasp on everything he and his friends were told and where he was going wrong involving Lucius and Marena's closest friend, he knew that he and Fuecoco needed to not only become stronger but also more patient and vigilant so they would be ready for him the next time they and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers along with Sarah, her family, and her friends come across him on their journey together.


The next morning, everyone got up bright and early for yet another new day and the Rising Volt Tacklers were feeling better after the events of their first day taking care of Sarah's family in her stead. Now that they know how the little princess takes care of them throughout their crazy learning process the day before, doing her regular duties wasn't as tough as before with the help of her human family. Regardless, it didn't lessen the burden of caring for them since they weren't used to dealing with so many Pokémon, mythicals, and dragons and having so much to do to care for them at once.

But, their hopes were brightened when Ogerpon cheerfully told everyone that thanks to her and Delilah, Sarah's fever was starting to come down and she would need one more day of bedrest before it could fully break (entailing a sigh of relief from everyone gathered).

After hearing about Roy's attempt to clean the Pokémon using magic and Sarah's wand, Tsukumaro sighed and gave him an annoyed lecture about his failed attempt to use her wand (with how picky it and the other wands belonging to him and their family were as sentient objects from the Wizarding World). But, he, Nikki, James, Doug, Delilah, David, and Donna (former queen), all of whom were starting to be on peaceful speaking terms with him again, complimented him for doing so much to show them that he's prepared to change as the trainer he is. They were surprised to hear how hard he worked to get back in their good graces following the Rayquaza debacle, so much so that they decided to help him with Sarah's family's bath time but doing so by hand (something that Eternatus approved when it was his turn to be cleaned).

With Sarah's Inteleon, the royal Secret Agent Pokémon took it upon himself to train Larmina, Topaz, and Garnet to prepare them for future encounters with opponents such as the Explorers and Rayquaza. Thanks to him and his immense patience with them, he himself learned Hydro Pump, Soak, Rain Dance, and Acrobatics.

However, it bears noting that they learned those moves via TMs their human mother/Race's wife created for the three Tera Pokémon. With that in mind, their training with Inteleon consisted of him working with the trio on controlling them given how powerful they were despite their small sizes.


Morning broke a day later on the 5th of August when Sarah finally woke up to the first rays of sunlight peeking through her room, causing her to wake up. By that point, thanks to her mother and Ogerpon (who came to check on her with a breakfast tray they prepared earlier), her fever was completely broken and she no longer felt sick.

"Morning, Sarah, poi! Rise and shine, poi!"

"How are you feeling, dear?" they smiled as Sarah shifted herself so she sat up on her bed's backboard.

"...I feel great," she replied simply with a small smile, her hoarse voice coughs no longer present as she felt herself returning to normal.

"Let's see, then. You're no longer sneezing so that's a good start." Wanting to be absolutely sure, Delilah checked her daughter's temperature via a thermometer and felt her forehead just as Ogerpon gave her master's goddaughter her breakfast tray. "Hmm... Your fever's broken and the results on the thermometer are promising, that's good."

"Sarah better, poi?" Ogerpon asked the Alola queen, getting a chuckle from her.

"Yes, Ogerpon, my daughter's all better now and she's clear to get out of bed from today," she replied before she looked back at her daughter and gave her a motherly glare. "But, next time, be more careful whenever you're training, and if you feel under the weather, let us know right away. And, that goes for your sessions with Roy and Liko; I can't believe you got yourself sick days ago with your martial arts practice despite your good health."

"I know, Mom... I promise," Sarah sighed, not wanting to argue as she finished her breakfast tray.

Delilah just smiled, "Good."

Ogerpon nodded, "Yeah, poi! Friends also have something you'll like, poi!"

"What...?"

"Come see, poi!"

Ogerpon gently wrapped a Vine Whip around Sarah's right hand and wrist before she quickly led the little princess out of her room and into the summerhouse's living room with Delilah following suit (after she took the empty breakfast tray). The mischievous little Mask Pokémon continued to lead Sarah to the living room until they were finally inside, the little princess seeing it decked out with various decorations, treats, and food meant for a small party.

"Ogerpon, what is this? What's with the decorations?" Sarah asked the former "Ogre of Kitakami" only for Ogerpon to giggle at her before she whistled and all her friends and family popped out of their hiding places.

"SURPRISE!"

Sarah yelped in bewilderment before she looked around and laughed heartily at them, "Aww, you guys!"

Everybody laughed as Ash and the others ran over to and hugged her, all of them looking happy to see her feeling better and no longer in bed now that her fever had broken as Delilah and Ogerpon discovered.

"Come on, this is too much! You guys didn't have to go that far for me!"

"On the contrary, your friendship with us and everything we did in your stead throughout the last few days ended up opening a new chapter for all of us," Ludlow replied.

"You've done so much for us since you, your friends, and your family joined the crew, Sarah. So, we put our heads together and put all of this up just for you to celebrate," Orla grinned.

Diancie could only agree as she hopped over to Sarah and smiled at her, "Good to see you back on your feet again, Princess."

"Thanks, Diancie," Sarah smiled back.

"Party time, party time, party time, poi!" Ogerpon chirped as she did her Happy Ogre Dance, making everybody laugh as they had fun together and enjoyed the day.

Goh went as far as to admit to Sarah that taking care of her family as extensive as it is was more difficult than he originally thought but she chuckled in response and thanked him for trying.

She even extended her gratitude to Roy, Dot, and Liko (on behalf of the Rising Volt Tacklers and her, Race, and Asha's Paldea classmates) as she told them, "Thanks for looking after my family, you guys. I'm sorry my family gave you and the others a rough time throughout the last few days, my paradox children probably had a field day with you all without me reining them in."

Liko shook her head as she smiled, "We didn't know how hard you worked to take care of them until we did all your chores for them while you were sick. You really didn't have it easy compared to us before you got sick the day before yesterday since we didn't have much Pokémon let alone a pack of mythicals and dragons."

"Yeah, You went through a lot before you met us. Your family told us about their history and your uncle so we got a better idea of what you've been up to with the immense responsibility of looking after them when they grew with each new member," Roy nodded.

"Sorry, Sarah, the truth is...we've been putting you through so much pressure without knowing it. Ever since we crossed paths with the Explorers, you've been working so hard to protect us to the point when you caught the flu two days ago. But, no more; from now on, we'll pull our own weight to help you ease such a responsibility on your shoulders," Friede apologized.

"Ditto, kid," Cap agreed with a humble smirk.

"Hey, you didn't know how my family and I had it rough back then. We don't talk about our past and Lothor because of that but I've learned to appreciate where I came from and deal with the trauma he gave us."

"Yeah... But, we'll try to make it easier for you so you won't be as stressed to protect us whenever the Explorers rear their ugly heads."

"It's a promise," Dot and Quaxly replied.

"And, we'll try to be better trainers for your sake."

"Especially regarding Rayquaza given that you found the strength to carry on thanks to your family," Liko and Roy added.

"Yeah!" added Sprigatito and Fuecoco.

"Like when you had a blast during your 18th birthday at SeaWorld Orlando!" Delosky giggled.

"No way!"

"Really?"

"Unreal!"

"¡Muy guay! Sounds like you had a lot of fun!"

"Cool!"

"Awesome!"

"Amazing!"

"Really, you went to SeaWorld?"

"TheSeaWorld Orlando park, one of the four original SeaWorld parks following the San Diego and Ohio parks that opened in 1973?!"

"What happened during your birthday there?" Arven, Penny, Mela, Nemona, Lacey, Giacomo, Drayton, Carmine, Kieran, and Crispin remarked in surprise and awe.

"Well, it's quite a funny story and my birthday there was certainly an adventure. I've learned a lot while having fun with my family there and I suppose you all deserve to know more about it since I won't mind taking you there and to the other parks with it along with the new one at Abu Dhabi's Yas Island..."

And, this was the story Sarah told...

To Be Continued...

Next Chapter: Trials of Sarah: Pikachu Short: Celebration at SeaWorld