Liko - My name is Liko. The drive to discover, the drive to learn... These are what we're all feeling that set us out on our new journey: to seek out the last member and leader of the Six Heroes, Rayquaza, and uncover the mysteries surrounding Terapagos. We are the rising Volt Tacklers and we're going out to lands beyond Paldea and within for more intel and adventures that help us grow as people and Pokémon trainers. Last time, we paid a quick visit to Uva Academy and told Director Clavell, the teachers, and the Paldea Gym Leaders about the Explorers. Amazingly, they all agreed to help us when they began their next attempt to capture Rayquaza. Until then, we would keep up with our training...

It was now August 7th and in the Paldea Region, Sarah, Lazuli, and Race were making their way back to the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft with the Circle of Twelve and the little princess' human family while the majority of her family opted to stay in the Pokémon Dragon Heart Dome at her, Asha, and Race's Cabo Poco summerhouse.

While the rest of their group walked, the royal couple and Lazuli were riding aboard Brightstar, Toril, and Catastros along the path to both ships with Fred (Sarah's cybernetic fox) happily yipping as he scampered around them (with Catastros surprisingly being in a calm state than he would usually act under the former BF Champion's care).

"So, this is Fred... Is he really the cyber fox cub your bionic and masked friends from these Teen Titans made for you?" Lazuli remarked, raising a curious eyebrow at Fred while he tilted his head and yipped at her with a cute smile.

He continued to scamper around his new family and friends as Sarah replied, "Yeah, I was surprised when he came up to me but he's quite the helpful cub; a rambunctious yet cheerful sort whenever he's on or off the field, too. He's my fourth partner after my Beast Bot and BioZords: Solar, Carno, and Chasa. Athena, the Pyroar Beast Bot in my family, mainly belonged to Race."

"SSSSSSo, jusssst what are you doing right now besssssides training your Pokémon and friends for Rayquaza when he comessssss back, Princessss?" Snake questioned the little princess.

"Well, I recently got a transdimensional call from Phyco, Dulse, Soliera, and Zossie after sending them a message about Diancie's friend. They were shocked, let me tell you, but since he was under Diancie's jurisdiction and he hadn't done anything to Nebby and Nebula yet, they were okay. They permitted me to keep him but requested that I somehow get him to access his Ultra Mode to be on the safe side."

"How did Lusamine and Mohn take to the news of the third Necrozma along with Faba, Wicke, and the rest of the Aether Foundation?" questioned Ox.

"About as well as you could expect when we told them about them and their friends; they were shocked at the thought of a third Necrozma that somehow crossed over from Ultra Space but they were more surprised to find that he wasn't nearly as threatening when Lillie and I explained to them that he's restraining himself from absorbing Nebby and Nebula's lights. That didn't mean they were completely cool with me having him but they understood it would be until Rayquaza reappears somewhere and the Explorers make their next move whenever he shows up. Naganadel was the same when I told her but allowed me to keep him given Eternatus is still keeping a leash on him so he doesn't target Nebby, Nebula, and their older counterparts AKA Diancie's other two friends: Nekkar and Nunki."

"What about your new ranger powers? What happened to some of your old accessories after you lost your old ones and gained your new ones?" puzzled Rabbit.

"I've synchronized my Solgaleo Sunburst Visor with Solar already with Nate and Solon's help after they and their respective teams were informed of my new powers. And, we've upgraded my Beast-X King Ultra Bow and Dino Knight Morpher by fusing their powers with those of my Cosmic Orbs so they'll work in conjunction now."

Sarah was right; when she was given her new powers by the Astral Haven Zords, their former owners, and Masters Red and Green, her Dino Knight Morpher and Beast-X King Ultra Bow were modified and upgraded with Nate and Solon's assistance to work in tangent with them:

- While it held onto its sturdy metallic framework, the new Cosmic Lion-X King Ultra Bow now gleamed with a radiant white and gold finish. The bow's front featured King's iconic mouth but the mouthpiece now had a more pronounced lion-like appearance with its sharper and more defined fangs and a golden light glowing fiercely from within. On one side of the bow, the gorilla figure was replaced by a Mega Lion with its mane flowing backward and eyes that shone with a bright golden hue, and the jackrabbit figure on the other was now replaced by a Solgaleo, its radiant mane extending outward like a brilliant sunburst with elegant detail (its celestial markings highlighted in silver and gold). Its bowstring gives off a radiant yet soothing light, shifting from gold to white as cosmic energy flows through it. In addition, the ultra bow was now equipped with small solar panels along its limbs, thus allowing it to harness and store solar energy to amplify its power in battle as long as it is under the sun.

- The Dino Knight Morpher Zayto and his team had given her retained its sleek yet powerful design its predecessor had but the metallic finish sported Nebby's coloration (a predominant white with shimmering blue, purple, and silver cosmic highlights adorned with engravings of celestial patterns and dinosaur motifs) and at its center was a socket designed to house her Cosmic Orbs so she could harness them in battle (but only two at a time just like with the original Dino Knight Morpher).

"And, what about Solar? After the upgrades you guys made to him, how did he take to your new powers once he took them for a test drive?" Pig quizzed, wondering how Solar was getting on after he was upgraded again.

"WHOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOO!"

She and the others soon found out as they noticed the Beast Bot in question zooming by in his Motorcycle Mode but now leaving a trail of stardust shimmering behind him (akin to the stardust trails left behind by Otto, Reggie, Twister, and Sam from the Rocket Power game: Beach Bandits, after they went into "Rocket Power Mode" by filling up their Rocket Meter while on their skateboards).

"BEST DAY EVER! I love this new form! Hey, come on, you slowpokes! What are you lagging behind for, let's see what Friede wants with us!" he called before he darted around them, continuing to holler excitedly over his upgrades.

In his new upgraded form, Solar's sleek golden mane was now more vibrant, its curved back retaining its golden hue but given a fiery radiance which caused him to emit streaks of light reminiscent of the sun's solar flames. His yellow eyes shone brighter than ever as they emitted a dazzling glow and his silver scepter-shaped tail now crackled with an icy blue and shadow-like energy. His ocean-blue metallic body now gleamed with an intensified sheen that reflected the sun's brilliance and on his chest was a radiant emblem resembling Sarah's upgraded visor.

And, with his new abilities, he can now emit a powerful roar infused with cosmic energy capable of disorientating and stunning enemies within range, shroud himself in a cloak of darkness to make himself invisible and confuse evildoers before bypassing them or taking them by surprise, and harness his new cosmic energy to teleport short distances.

"...I guess that answers that," Pig blinked.

"So...you done on your end?" Dog asked.

"Yep, with all that done and dusted, I can finally relax just as I promised Mom."

"I doubt it given how much of a busybody you've become by choice and not circumstance," chuckled Lazuli knowingly.

"You're a busy bee-bee and Pollin knows that," joked Barkk, smirking.

"Okay, okay, I get it. No need to rub it in," Sarah sighed indignantly.

They had just returned to the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft with the heroes dropping inside the airship's briefing room to see what Friede wanted to speak to them and his entire crew about.

"Attention, everyone! I've called you here today because the Rising Volt Tacklers' finances have finally run dry," Friede informed, regarding his crew's current financial bind while Snorunt, Rockruff, Fuecoco, Quaxly, Pawmi, and Sprigatito were playing together.

"Huh?"

"It's run dry?"

"That time again, huh?"

"I guess if we continue to solve our mysteries and not stop to work now and then..."

"We'll run out of money, I get that..." Liko, Roy, Murdock, Mollie, and Orla remarked.

"That's the gist of it," Cap nodded grimly as he crossed his arms knowingly.

"Hey! We got work to do, alright?" snapped Blitz with a frown as he glared at Snorunt, Rockruff, Fuecoco, Quaxly, Pawmi, and Sprigatito who were still playing (making them slump down in realization after they remembered the purpose of everyone's meeting).

Friede and Cap looked at his crew and their friends as the unconventional professor continued, "Now, I don't intend for us to stray from our original goal of finding Laqua but given our current situation, I'll need all of you to put some effort into making big bucks for us to continue our investigation as well as our search for Rayquaza AND to make ends meet."

"Right!" everybody agreed.

"So, we're earning money, too?"

"Aren't the Rising Volt Tacklers supposed to be going on adventures and solving the mysteries of Pokémon?" puzzled Roy and Liko, confused about the need to do odd jobs for their group's finances.

Friede just smiled as he told them, "Adventures and solving mysteries don't exactly give us a roof over our heads and put food on the table. If we're going to keep looking for Rayquaza, discover Laqua, and keep up with our adventures, we'll need to perform a little oddball job hunt to make our money troubles go away."

Roy nodded, "Oh, I see..."

"I guess it won't hurt to start selling sweets after my recent success with those donuts..." Murdock pondered.

Orla nodded as she started searching for something or someone to make a call to and noted, "I suppose I should give my friends a call and see if anyone needs my services on mechanical repairs. Hey, Mollie, you can perform physical therapy and medical consultations for Pokémon, right?"

Mollie nodded before she forwarded a call to Dot and said, "Yeah. Hey, Dot, you mind helping me make a publicity video? You're good at that stuff, right?"

Murdock beamed as he agreed and made a request to his niece, "Ooh, I like it! Hey, Dot, would you mind making a video for my sweets-selling business, too?"

"Huh? I don't know, sounds like a hassle," Dot sighed, looking uninterested and not wanting to join in.

"Why the long face? You had a lot of fun with your videos and the revenue you generated has you covered, so-" Orla chirped brightly before Roy and Liko jumped in.

"I want to help! I can do some heavy lifting with you guys and I'm really good at mountain hiking!"

"I, uh... I'll do anything to help, too!"

"Sorry, you two, but aren't you forgetting something? Today's a school day and you know what that means," Sarah reminded as she leaned on the doorway, making Liko and Roy sigh in realization before she made her proposal. "If you like, I can give you a hand by donating part of my family's money to you."

"Thanks, Sarah, but you've already done too much on our behalf since you and Race joined us. I'm sure we'll figure something out without draining your family's budget," Mollie replied with a humble smile. "Besides, I'm not sure if your money would be much help to us. Do you and your family know anything about financials?"

"I have several companies under my belt and learned financial education as my family and worked..."

"COMPANIES?!"

"You and your family own business companies?!"

"While you're still young?!" the Rising Volt Tacklers, Roy, and Liko balked.

"...Is it that big a deal to you guys?"

"Of course, it is! It's almost the same as how curry was something new to Dot and Lazuli! Business ventures are often difficult for anybody to get into off the bat, are you kidding me right now?!"

"He's right! Other than cooking and fashion, you know, that type of stuff, going into a business of any sort such as real estate is difficult with all the competition going on!" Liko and Roy continued, still looking baffled.

"If you have several business companies, how did you and your family run them while staying sane?" Murdock quizzed, stunned.

"It's true; she bought a couple of businesses from Team Rocket after they were taken care of and made them part of her dream as a Pokémon Ambassador," Ash grinned in confirmation.

"Whatever businesses they had, she made them into a Pokémon Hospital, a Pokémon Training Center, and a second Sunny Ohana Sanctuary which she left Asha's parents in charge of with some of the NightWings from Dragonstone assisting them in their finances," Sophocles declared grandly.

"Our baby girl has been quite the worker bee since she began her dream and made it into a reality," Doug smiled with a father's pride.

"And, to our surprise, she was quite well-versed with the financial aspect of running a business company as we were," James concurred.

"And, while I don't approve of my daughter pushing herself to the limit with what she's still juggling since then, I can't ignore knowing that she's done wonders since she also began her other jobs and learned everything there is to know about them including these finances," Delilah added.

"Plus, it doesn't hurt her from a political or financial standpoint when being a Junior Cop or Pokémon/Dragon Nurse," Lillie finished with a smile.

Lazuli thus gave Sarah a deadpanned glare as she snorted, "You never had 'taking a break', 'quit while you're ahead', or 'kick the bucket' written in your dictionary, do ya, kid?"

Sarah could only give her an incredulous shrug.

"Wow... Sarah's amazing; she does all of that AND finds time to rule over two kingdoms under her wing, be a Power Ranger, and train with and care for her family simultaneously...all without breaking a sweat? She's incredible!" Liko mused, looking at Sarah with intense admiration.

"Great buddhas, by the sound of it, the kid's already making ya runts look like lightweights with her crazy schedule," Rooster snarked, impressed with widened disbelieving eyes.

"Right. And, as she said, you two, you've got more important things to worry about and that's putting your studies first," Friede concurred to the young adventurer and the young girl as the latter nodded in agreement.

Soon, it was time for Liko to begin her next class as she and Sprigatito were out on the Brave Olivine's observation deck with the young girl speaking with Ann again via her Rotom Phone.

"Wow, that's rough. So, your group's adventures actually cost money?" replied the happy-go-lucky student.

"Sure looks like it," Liko nodded before Ann noticed Hatenna from her hoodie, seeing her squirm a bit before she turned and squeaked upon hearing her mother's classmate.

"Hey... Did you catch that Pokémon on you as of late?"

"Of course. Ann, this is Hatenna, we met when we found her at Sarah's castle base a short distance from Galar Mine."

"Hi," Hatenna squeaked cutely, recognizing Ann as a friend.

"AWW! She looks so adorable! It's nice to meet you, Hatenna! Oh! There's the bell, talk to ya later after class!"

"Okay."

Changing her Rotom Phone to Tablet Mode, Liko's class was back in session as their teacher came into view and prepared to give them and their classmates their new assignment.

"Good morning, class," he greeted.

"Good morning/Good morning!" his students, Ann, and Liko greeted back.

With Ludlow, he was fishing on the Brave Olivine's bow before his fishing rod snagged something, prompting him to pull only to fall over as there was nothing on the other end.

"Oh, well. If anything would not work, neither should one eat," he mused.

"And, that's the story for today's assignment; today, you're to find out and discuss what is, in your opinion: the Ideal Bond. Your job is to find and pick a Pokémon and trainer pair you know personally and look up to and then write a report on why you admire them. And, tomorrow, in our next class, I'll have you all present them one at a time."

This particular assignment intrigued Liko as she pondered while looking at the cat-napping Sprigatito and went inside the Brave Olivine with her in her arms now that class was over, wondering who the Pokémon and trainer pair she would have to choose for her report.

"The 'Ideal Bond'? I need to pick a trainer and Pokémon pair that I personally know and look up to. That's not hard but if I have to choose, it'll have to be..."

"Wait! Hold up! Are you saying you just got an assignment as a Junior Cop from Officer Jenny, Sarah?!"

"Yeah, she just rang me up minutes ago; apparently, there had been a string of Pokémon thefts and kidnappings popping up at the Asado Desert. The local authorities are currently powerless to do anything given how crafty and powerful the Pokémon Hunters responsible were so she called upon me and my family to look into the matter personally and shut them down. She even referred me to someone missing a Bramblin under his care so we could begin making inquiries."

Liko stopped as she arrived at the briefing room after hearing Murdock and Sarah's voices and the mention of Pokémon Hunters. Wanting to see if she could do anything to help Sarah crack the case she had been given, she entered the briefing room as the Rising Volt Tacklers tried to talk her out of the assignment Officer Jenny had given her and her family alone.

"But, don't you and your family need help rounding the criminals up and finding Bramblin?"

"Sounds risky despite your experience in catching Pokémon Hunters and cracking down on them," Mollie agreed.

"Nah, we and her family trust Sarah to do this herself. Besides, with how equally crafty she is, it's no wonder she took down so many Pokémon Hunters and corrupted politicians and people like them for the last year," smirked Ash.

"They didn't stand a chance against her!" Pikachu agreed, sharing Ash's smirk.

"Her family are also on hand to help so finding Bramblin and taking down those hunters will be a piece of cake."

"She's got this!"

"Yeah!" Mallow, Lana, and Lillie agreed with Gladion, Kiawe, Sophocles, Burnet, and Kukui sharing their sentiments while smiling knowingly.

"Just leave the case to us," Blitz promised.

At that moment, Liko immediately discovered who she would write about in her report for her next class, "Sarah and one of her Pokémon! She has a lot of Pokémon on her and they all cared a great deal for her in return for her love! They could be perfect for my assignment on the 'Ideal Bond'! Although, I don't know which Pokémon to write about with her..."

Suddenly, Roy and Fuecoco (having also finished class for the day) barged into the room after hearing about the case she took from Officer Jenny, eagerly telling her, "Hey, Sarah! You're going to the Asado Desert, right? I want to help you find those Pokémon Hunters and stop them!"

"Oh, uh-yeah! I want to help, too!" Liko spoke up, offering her assistance.

"I don't know... I don't take this sort of work lightly, and sometimes, you tend to cause more trouble than you fix, usually. I'm not too fond of the idea, especially since you've never dealt with Pokémon Hunters before meeting me."

"If you're concerned for their safety, why not let Lazuli, Cap, and I tag along? The others can handle things here while we're gone," Friede offered kindly.

"As long as youremain on your toes if those reports from Blue Cop are accurate," the swordswoman nodded.

"I don't mind if you come along but I want you three to keep Liko and Roy out of trouble. Be alert and avoid fighting unless necessary."She returned her attention to Liko and Roy, "And, that goes for you two, especially. I don't want your grandfather and parents to go aggro on me should you somehow end up getting hurt."

"Okay," the two young trainers replied.


(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)


A short while later, Sarah, joined by Lazuli, Friede, Liko, Roy, Hu, their Pokémon (including Koraidon, Blitz, Curly, Serpent, Flystorm, Skystorm, Nebby, and Nebula), Fred, and Cap arrived in the Asado Desert and was now approaching a small western-style shack. While they settled some distance away after arriving, they went to the shack to meet the man who sent the Pokémon Hunter reports to Officer Jenny and was Bramblin's partner/caretaker, his name was Oliver.

"So, is this where this Oliver fellow is waiting for us?" Friede pondered, looking at the shack.

"Yep, that's it. I imagine he's already expecting us while tending to whoever's dining or drinking in here," the little princess confirmed, bracing herself for what was to come before turning to Liko and Roy. "Stay close, you two. The people living in these parts are rough around the edges with strangers so don't antagonize anybody while we're here."

The pair nodded and allowed Sarah to lead everyone to the shack before she pushed the doors open and they entered. Upon arriving, Liko and Roy saw a few men and Pokémon including a Snubbell and a Lechonk inside who gave the group cold stares, immediately making them realize that they're indeed not a friendly bunch (despite being in the princess' presence which was why they didn't advance on the small party) and hide behind their best friend for safety. Out of all of the men, the only one happy to see them was Oliver as he turned and noticed Sarah and Friede among the bar's unexpected guests.

"Ah, Princess! Friede, you too! Thanks for coming, I knew you'd get here," he grinned at the pair.

"Sure, it's been a while," Friede replied.

"Of course, and if I have to guess, you and Friede were old friends before you called me."

Oliver nodded before he looked at Lazuli, Liko, Hu (in his human form), and Roy curiously, prompting Sarah to reply, "These four are some of our friends, our traveling buddies, as you might say. The other man with us is also a guardian to the swordswoman you see before you."

"My name's Liko."

"Hi, I'm Roy."

"Lazuli."

"And, I'm Hu. Pleasure to meet you, Oliver," the quartet in question greeted.

"Thanks. I'm Shine, also known as Oliver, nice to meet you."

Over a couple of drinks and after pulling out a photo of him and Bramblin and some notes he made regarding the kidnappings he found out about, Shine (Oliver) began to explain everything to the heroes, "This is the Bramblin I hope you'll find. What's more, these notes I made detailed regarding the Pokémon Hunters and how they worked, they should help point you in the right direction with what they're doing."

"That's a Pokémon?" Roy asked curiously, seeing the Bramblin in Shine's photo.

"Yep, a Bramblin, it's known as the Tumbleweed Pokémon and a common sight in deserts like this one. And, I'm guessing that Bramblin is yours, Shine?" Sarah nodded before making her inquiry to the friendly man.

"Yeah, I caught and befriended the little guy while I traveled around Paldea last month. I've been taking him out for walks since then but yesterday, a strong wind blew him away while we were out."

"A Pokemon blown away by a strong wind?" Liko echoed curiously.

Shine nodded as he continued, "I'd go look for him myself but I've got work to do. But, this brings me to the tricky bit: when I made my report to Officer Jenny, she told me about the Pokémon Hunters going around these parts snapping up random wild Pokémon up and down Asado Desert which is why she asked me to contact you especially. Also, I've heard additional reports about sightings of a single wild Kantonian Moltres in the desert."

"A wild Moltres?" Roy gasped, surprised as he looked up the Legendary Bird's profile via his Rotom Phone's Pokedex.

"Moltres, the Flame Pokemon (Kantonian Form). A Fire and Flying Type, Moltres is a Legendary Bird Pokémon with the ability to control fire. If this Pokemon is injured, it is said to dip its body in the molten magma of a volcano to burn and heal itself."

"So, that's the Kantonian form of Moltres. And, it's not just completely different from Lucius' Moltres in terms of looks, it's also purely a Fire Type," Liko noted, immediately noticing the differences between the two Legendary Birds.

"...I see, so they also have their sights set on a Moltres around here? If I know Pokémon Hunters, the ones snagging all those wild Pokémon in the desert and causing everyone here trouble must have their eyes fixed on it, too. They'll do anything to make a pretty penny out of the third of the Legendary Birds no matter what forms they're in," Sarah gritted her teeth in disgust.

"You mean, they want to sell Moltres?!"

"And, after capturing it?!" Roy and Liko barked in horror.

Friede nodded as he said to Liko and Roy, "Yeah, I get it. You see, you two, Oliver's an undercover agent working alongside people like Sarah and Officer Jenny to protect wild Pokémon including the Moltres he mentioned. Capturing Pokémon Hunters and other people like them is part of his job and with these hunters and these Moltres sightings, it's clear he needs our help. "

Sarah agreed before she reassured Oliver, "We understand everything, Oliver. Please leave Bramblin's well-being and the safety of those Pokémon and Moltres to us. No matter what happens, we'll find and get him back to you and bring those hunters to justice."

The others immediately agreed with Koraidon and Serpent even added on their human caretaker's behalf (in their own manners), "It's a promise, Mr. Oliver, Sir!"

"Piece of cake."

Liko just smiled as she looked between Sarah and the two Paradox Pokémon, "Wow, Koraidon and Serpent are looking fired up and they're sharing Sarah's energy and determination, they're so reliable!"


Leaving Oliver to tend to his current work, the group found themselves within Asado Desert to commence their search for the Pokémon Hunters and Bramblin as Liko and Roy looked up the Tumbleweed Pokémon's file.

"Bramblin, the Tumbleweed Pokémon. A Grass and Ghost Type; as a soul unable to move on to the afterlife, it gets tangled in dry grass and tumbles around, not even knowing where it is going."

"Sounds pretty tough..." Liko commented.

"I guess this gives a whole new meaning to 'whichever way the wind blows'," Lazuli quipped.

"By that, it's obvious that such a Pokémon literally goes wherever the wind takes it," agreed Hu (who was back in his Tiger Form now that they were away from Oliver and the men at the shack).

"Mm-hmm, judging by how the winds have been since yesterday, Bramblin should be around here somewhere," Friede wondered, looking around their current spot.

"Hey, look!"

"Bramblin Alert!"

"There he is!" Cap, Koraidon, and Serpent shouted, seeing Oliver's friend in some bushes.

"It's Bramblin!" Liko gasped.

"Bingo!" Friede smirked.

"Hey, Bramblin! Your friend, Oliver, asked us to help him look for you!" Roy called with a smile.

Bramblin whistled softly yet happily until another gust of wind came rushing in and blew the little Tumbleweed Pokémon away much to the group's surprise.

"And, he's gone," Barkk remarked.

"Hey, wait!" Liko cried as everybody quickly gave chase with Cap jumping for him only for the wind to blow the Tumbleweed Pokémon to the east.

"I got him, Mom!" Koraidon shouted as he tried to grab him but missed as he tripped and plopped to the ground.

"Ha! Hang back, Dino Boy, let me show you how it's done," snarked Serpent with a smirk as she attempted to grab him only for the wind to pick him up and set him down as he rolled along, making her growl in annoyance over the tedious task before she pounced at him but only crashed into a Saguaro cactus plant in front of her as he was blown behind a large rock.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"I'll get it!" Roy called as he took the lead with Liko, Lazuli, Hu, and Friede following him only for Sarah to gasp and stop as she sensed what was behind the rock.

"Roy, guys! No, wait! Look out for the-!" Sarah screamed in alarm.

But, it was too late; without warning, just as he turned left and continued the chase, Roy accidentally bumped into a wild Rhyhorn and the others stopped, seeing them face to face with a whole pack of Rhyhorn including the one he ran into with Bramblin rolling away from them in the distance. As a result, feeling like they had been insulted, the Rhyhorn became extremely aggressive and began chasing after them and their Pokémon, forcing Koraidon and Serpent to scare them off before the heroes and the others took shelter behind a small rock patch.

"...That was fun," grumbled Blitz.

"Scary," added Curly with a small whimper.

"We just lost Bramblin and we were so close," Liko sighed as Friede looked at a sign they were in front of along with Koraidon.

"Hey, what's this?" the prehistoric Paradox Pokémon puzzled, wondering what the sign said.

"Desert to the left, oasis to the right, eh?" Friede read before he nodded and announced to everyone gathered, "Right, everyone, let's go left into the desert."

"Huh?"

"Why go left?" Lazuli and Liko pondered.

"Tons of Bramblin hate water and feel much more at home in dry and rocky habitats including deserts so it makes sense that Oliver's partner might've been blown to Asado Desert."

"Wow, I see why you're a Pokémon Professor, Friede! I didn't know that!" Roy breathed in amazement.

"Yep. Well, let's go."

"Yeah, well, you're wrong, Pal."

"Agreed."

Everyone turned to see Cap and Serpent facing the direction of the oasis, both of them thinking Oliver's Bramblin might've blown to the right and into the oasis despite knowing that a Bramblin usually hates water.

"What's wrong, Cap, Serpent?" Liko asked.

"Maybe they think Bramblin might've been blown to the oasis," Roy noted, realizing what they were thinking.

"No way, why would a Bramblin like Mr. Oliver's friend want to go to an oasis? And, what if it's just a mirage?" Koraidon rebutted, having serious doubts about their line of thinking.

"C'mon, now, Cap. There's no other way, a Bramblin's instinct would tell it to turn left here where there's a desert," Friede added knowingly.

"Big deal."

"It probably went for a dip, let's go," Cap and Serpent continued, dismissing their thinking.

"You're not convinced?" Friede snorted as he and Koraidon joined the pair incredulously.

"Bramblins hate water, Serpent; you know that, I know that, Mom knows that, our friends know that, everybody else in our family knows that! Let's go left," Koraidon argued only for Cap and Serpent to slap their tails and make them turn to the right while they continued to fight.

"That way/Go left!"

"No, that way/Bear right!"

"That way/No, left!"

"This way/Turn right!"

"That way/LEFT, YOU METALLIC SNAKE!"

"This way/RIGHT, YOU SENTIMENTAL OGRE!"

"Alright, already! Grow up and stop fighting like babies, I thought we were past this by now!" Sarah snapped as she got in between Serpent and Koraidon and tried to push them back before they started fighting while Cap and Friede continued to butt heads.

"...Well, that was awkward."

"I never knew Koraidon and Serpent would be so petty with each other," Lazuli and Hu commented awkwardly as everyone else sweatdropped at the quintet, feeling especially bad for Sarah as she was stuck in the middle during Koraidon and Serpent's spat.

"...Should we try looking both ways instead?" Roy commented, feeling just as awkward.

Liko was especially worried for Sarah, Koraidon, and Serpent as she awkwardly thought, "I guess...they don't see eye to eye with each other at times. Even Friede and Cap feel the same way when they get into something like this."

Suddenly, the group heard Fred frantically yipping at something above them from behind. They turned and there was Oliver's Bramblin, whistling for help as he was hanging from one of the branches of a tree (making Serpent, Koraidon, Cap, and Friede gasp in shock at the realization).

"What the-?!" Lazuli gawked.

"Bramblin!"

"He's on that tree!" Curly and Nebby gasped.

"So, they were all wrong," Roy commented, leaving the quartet blushing with embarrassment at their oversight.

"Damn... And, you couldn't even do a simple thing as to turn back and look around the place?" Hu snarked, shrugging and looking unimpressed before the wind picked up and blew the Tumbleweed Pokémon away again.

"HEEEELLLLP!" it wailed.

"AFTER HIM!" screamed Koraidon and Serpent with Sarah jumping aboard the latter and everybody ran or rode after Bramblin before finding themselves back in the sandy plans of Asado Desert.

"We followed it back to the Asado Desert!"

"At least we're in a much wider and more open space this time!"

"Yes, it'll be much easier for us to spot him out in the open compared to that rocky field we were in," Roy, Lazuli, and Friede stated.

Liko soon gasped in surprise as she and the others noticed a cluster of tumbleweeds rolling by, prompting Roy to gasp, "Whoa, look at them! Are they all Bramblim?"

"No, they're just ordinary tumbleweeds and that poses a problem. They're nothing but piles of dry grass clumped and curled into balls and they're not sentient but Oliver's Bramblim could be one of them," Hu rumbled darkly, seeing that their search for Bramblim became even trickier.

"So, it'll be like a game of 'Needle in a Haystack'. Right, Mr. Hu?" Nebula asked the Tiger Zodiac.

"Precisely."

"I guess we better get cracking before those Pokémon Hunters get to him first," sighed Sarah before turning to Fred and her Deadly Nadders. "Sky, Fly, you're up, track and keep your eyes and ears open. Fred, give us a hand with your Inferred Vision."

Nodding and either yipping or snorting in agreement, Skystorm, Flystorm, and Fred assisted their family and friends in their search for Oliver's Bramblim amongst the tumbleweeds. Activating his Inferred Vision, Fred scanned the field and tumbleweeds for Bramblim's heat signature. The Deadly Nadder mates, on the other hand, joined the others in searching for the Tumbleweed Pokémon amongst the flurry of tumbleweeds.

Eventually, Liko and Sprigatito managed to see him rolling amongst the tumbleweed flurry but they and the others quickly lost sight of him. But, little did the heroes know that Bramblim was about to end up in a spot of trouble by the very people they were looking for.


As he rolled around, not knowing where he was going, he was suddenly caught in a trap net by two men in cowboy outfits as they approached him via a small flatbed truck, looking satisfied with their catch.

The two men, however, were actually in cahoots with the team of Pokémon Hunters as two of their members. Speaking of the fiends, over at what is their current hiding spot, the rest of the hunters were going over their current catches, the leader (who was a girl wearing a dark navy blue and grey outfit complete with a pink and black bow, navy blue hi-flats, white socks, a hat of the same coloration (navy blue with two more bows on the outside and a pink interior), gray pig-tailed hair with bright yellow diamonds running along her pigtails, and menacing pink cat eyes) was looking over three more of their catches including a wild Skuntank, a wild Whismur, and a wild Sableye trapped in a large trailer truck.

"Hey, boys, this lot's nice but haven't you three been able to find cuter Pokemon AND that Moltres we've heard about? I want to make sure we pack all of the cuties we can find but maybe I should've looked through the credentials of some better hunters compared to you," she sneered darkly, sounding unimpressed with what the hunters before her had managed to wrangle.

"I-I, do apologize, M'am. But, we're honeycombing the desert as hard as we can. And, if it all works out, Moltres will be here any minute to set them free and we'll be ready," the oldest of the three men with her explained, trying to defend himself and his co-workers just before the other two hunters arrived with Bramblim in custody.

"'Scuse me, M'am, but we've managed to snag this one up for you when we found it rolling along the desert further down," one of the hunters announced.

"A Bramblim? Ugh, and you call this thing a Pokémon? Just look at it, it doesn't even look like a Pokémon," griped the leader with a groan as she and the other hunters looked at him.

"Doesn't look like a Pokemon?! M'am, this is a Bramblim! It's the rarest of the rare, just like Moltres! Granted, it's not as rare as the Legendary Bird was but still! Just think; imagine how much our clients will pay if we sell it and the others to the highest bidder! It's genius!"

"Ugh! Alright, I get it! Fine...! If that's the case, we'll take it with us. Lock it in the truck with the rest of them, we'll see what our bidders think. But, remember, we're searching for the cutest Pokémon and my grand prize, too!"

And, with that, the other hunters loaded the captured Bramblim into the truck to join Skuntank, Sableye, and Whismir, leaving the little Tumbleweed Pokémon whimpering fearfully and wondering what they'd do to him.


Meanwhile, with the heroes, they finally came across a small desert town in the middle of Asado Desert. They soon began asking questions and inquired the townsfolk about the whereabouts of Oliver's closest friend and the Legendary Flame Pokémon. Sadly, to their dismay and slight disgruntlement, none of the citizens and tourists visiting the area had any idea where they could be.

But, Cap was going to have it rough as two women noticed Cap and cooed at him, "AHH! Look, a Pikachu!"

"And, he's even wearing a hat!" the second woman gushed before they cheerfully added, "HOW CUTE!"

Cap was disgusted and horrified by their comments and then, to the shock and surprise of the others and Friede's sympathetic amusement, he suddenly began to sneeze uncontrollably (which only made the ladies gush at him more as they didn't do anything to help stop his sneezing).

"Whoa, somebody's having an off day," gulped Blitz.

"Hey, Goggles, what's up with your buddy after what those ladies did?" Lazuli questioned the unconventional professor.

"Oh, dear... I suppose Cap's allergies to being called 'you-know-what' are playing up again," Friede sighed with a knowing smile.

"Allergies?"

"What do you mean?" Roy and Sarah echoed in confusion.

"As you can see, whenever somebody calls him 'cute' given his species' reputation for that sort of fluff, he starts to sneeze up a storm."

"Sneezing fits or allergies over being called that?"

"Weird."

"Word," commented a confused Timburr, Roggenrola, and Woobat, tilting their heads at him.

"We know someone like Mr. Jax doesn't like to be called 'cute' but I never thought it would be something hideous for Mr. Cap," admitted Nebby as he awkwardly waved his front right paw over his front left paw.

"I don't get it," Curly shrugged.

"Neither do we Kwamis, honestly," agreed a stumped Barkk.

"That's ridiculous, there's no way a single word like that could cause Cap to develop such an allergic reaction," Hu (back in his human form) corroborated skeptically.

"YOU'RE SO CUTE!" the women cooed again at Cap with a scream, causing the poor captain to continue his sneezing fit and make Friede laugh at his expense (which didn't sit well for the older male Pikachu as he seethed at his partner).

While the others continued to watch Cap have a sneezing fit over being called "cute", Koraidon looked around until he noticed a restaurant with an open window that was giving away free samples of a sandwich the cooks inside had finished with only one remaining, "Ooh, sandwich...! Mine!"

Unable to control his hunger and love for sandwiches, he quickly darted over to the last sandwich only for Serpent to cut in front of him and eat it first.

"Hey! That's my sandwich, I saw it first!" he snapped angrily at the more aggressive Miraidon as she gave him a taunting smile while licking her lips with smug satisfaction.

"Well, if you hadn't been so dopey about it seconds ago, you would've eaten it on the spot. Tough luck, Bones," Serpent sneered cheekily.

"Oh, dopey, am I? I'll show you who's dopey!"

"ALRIGHT! Enough, whatever fight you're having right now is getting us nowhere!" Sarah barked furiously as she got between them and was forced to play the mediator between them again after composing herself. "Serpent, next time, be more mindful whenever there's a sandwich around and someone else gets it. And, Koraidon, don't give her a reaction; I'll make you another one when we get back but until then, focus on the case. And, I mean that, for both of you."

Koraidon and Serpent didn't say anything as they growled at each other. Eventually, however, they gave up and turned their backs on each other in a huff, leaving the little princess to sigh in exasperation as she realized they still had a long way to go before they could fully trust each other with anything.


Later, the heroes managed to get Cap far away from the ladies and the town where they were as they left and returned to the desert to continue their search for the captured Pokémon, the Pokémon Hunters, and Moltres. Cap, still having some beef with Friede over his allergies and how he hadn't helped him get away from the women who kept fawning over him, rode on his partner's head.

"Gee, Cap, that must've been hard on you," Roy told the older Pikachu, feeling sorry for him.

"I'd say Cap had it lucky, he wasn't hot material for one of Iono's live streams," Sarah retorted.

"Come on, Sarah, where's the harm in that? I'm sure being popular can't be all bad," Friede remarked in amusement.

However, Cap only seemed to agree with the little princess as he yanked on Friede's goggles and snapped them against his face before pulling his face, continuing to seethe as he snapped, "I HATE being called 'cute' and popular!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Hey! Don't blame me if you can't handle a little attention!" Friede spat back painfully at him.

Liko just sheepishly smiled at them before she returned her attention to Sarah, Koraidon, and Serpent, seeing the two Paradox Pokémon going at each other's throats for the sandwich from before with Sarah still trying to keep them from actually fighting each other through violence.

"This is all your fault, Serpent! If you hadn't hogged the entire sandwich in that town, I would've had enough energy to prepare to go after those hunters should we find them!"

"Not my fault you were slow on the draw and couldn't move your chompers fast enough!"

"You cut me off before I could eat it!"

"I didn't see your name on it. Didn't the sign on that house window say 'Free Samples'?"

"I did!"

"You did not!"

"It should've had my name on it!"

"My name, if you don't mind!"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"HEY! Knock it off! Are you ever going to let something that trivial go and get along?! Honestly, this is the worst I've seen out of you two in a while and in case you've forgotten, we're on a mission to find and arrest those Pokémon Hunters wreaking havoc in these parts! Please, for both my sake and our sanity, chill out! I'll make you two sandwiches after today but until then, get your acts together," snapped Sarah again, failing to stop them from getting into another squabble.

"...Fine!"

"I never asked Iron Snake to tag along, anyway."

"Who asked you, Captain Dino?" they barked indignantly as they turned their backs to each other again and continued on their way with the others.

Liko was now nervous as she looked between them and mused, "Um, is...this the Ideal Bond I'm looking for?"

She decided to speak with the little princess, feeling sorry for her as she heard a defeated and even more exasperated sigh coming from her before saying, "Hey... Sarah, sorry you're having it rough with them. Um, about Koraidon and Serpent... You said they're still at each other's throats for even trivial things like that sandwich from earlier, right? Do they still...well, fight from time to time, even with you looking after them?"

Sarah frowned in dismay before she admitted, "...It's been like that between them ever since Race and I calmed Serpent and Athisua down back at Area Zero and they began to live with us as per the wish of the AIs of Arven's parents. They're cool with us and their counterparts since then just as it was for Eternatus with Zacian and Zamazenta but every once in a while, fights like these break out between them and we're often forced to play mediator. It's not that bad with those three nowadays but it's a different story for Koraidon and Miraidon with Serpent and Athisua ever since they were kicked out after...well, you know..."

"...I see."

"Yeah, Arven's parents were killed protecting them. I guess a part of Miraidon and Koraidon also blamed Serpent and Athisua since they died to save them from being their first or next victims," Liko and Roy nodded sadly at the blunt yet honest truth, making the two Paradox Pokémon wince despite Koraidon throwing Serpent a small glare and Serpent trying to hide her self-loathing and moment of weakness through her aggression (and turning away from everyone).

The little princess sighed with a disappointed yet confirming nod, knowing that Miraidon and Koraidon's PTSD and the deaths of Professors Sada and Toro by Serpent and Athisua's hands still haunted the pair and prevented the four from fully trusting each other as of yet.

But, there was no time to dwell on it further because her personal satchel started glowing, and from her Z-Crystal/Pokémon Gem case came her Kantonian Moltres Gem which was glowing.

"Sarah, is that your Moltres Gem?" Liko gasped, recalling the Galarian Moltres Gem.

"But, that's not my Galarian Moltres Gem. It's my Kantonian Moltres Gem," Sarah rebutted in surprise, taking the gem in her hands.

"You're right. If the Kantonian Moltres Gem is glowing this time rather than your Galarian Moltres Gem, the Moltres we're looking for is not that far off," Friede breathed, intrigued.

"So, it's close," Cap agreed, knowing what that meant.

"Does that mean-?" Roy gasped until they heard a distressed yet defiant squawk in the distance.

"What was that?!" Hu spluttered.

"It sounded like it's coming from the oasis we heard about from that sign!" Lazuli deducted.

"Should we...?" Nebby began, knowing what everyone was thinking.

The entire group nodded as they quickly darted over to the source of the squawk. But, when they arrived at the oasis (which was real and not a mirage), they were surprised to see the two Pokémon Hunters that captured Oliver's friend hounding up a few more Pokémon for their leader including a Salandit, a Natu, and a Skorupi.

"Hold still, you son of a-! Hey! Dude, you done with the rest?! Any more of those cuties the boss be wantin'? I need help! This one's provin' to be a varmint of a fighter!" one of the hunters snapped to his cohort, trying and failing to restrain Moltres as it fought against him.

"Yeah, yeah. They should be good for her; you know how much she hated that Bramblim we managed to snag earlier after we showed her," replied the second hunter calmly as he loaded the wild Skorupi.

"They've captured a Bramblim and they found Moltres? Could they be...?"

"The Pokémon Hunters Officer Jenny and Oliver told us about andDiancie's Moltres friend?" Liko and Roy deduced.

"Yeah, Diancie did say that her friend didn't come with her to my, Asha, and Race's summerhouse back in Cabo Poco as it was looking after some wild Pokémon here. And, it looks like it needs our help."

"Agreed, let's go," Sarah and Friede nodded.


With that, the heroes trekked out of the brush they hid in while eavesdropping on the hunters to save Diancie's friend and the wild Pokémon that had been captured just as they prepared to fire more nets from their net guns. As the hunters continued with their work, unaware of their ploy to stop them and get answers, they were just about to fire their extra nets on Moltres (the Kantonian Legendary Bird being smaller in size compared to Lucius' partner but still a force to be reckoned with) when...

"Hello, Jason, Harley. You got some nerve snagging a Legendary Pokémon and a few other wild ones in this area, my friends and I have some questions and you're not getting out alive until they are answered," Sarah began as she, Koraidon, Serpent, Cap, and Friede confronted them with the others behind them for back-up.

"Eek! Princess Sarah?!" the hunters squeaked in shock.

"In the flesh; I see you two haven't changed much, same can be said for your leader and the rest of her posse. I thought you guys were still running around when Officer Jenny rang me about you earlier. Snagging a Moltres that was reported being seen in these parts and any other wild Pokémon she deemed cute, huh?"

"What do you know?! You had it easy when you took out our last leader and threw him behind bars for our operations!"

"This is none of your business and if you give us your Solgaleo and Lunala along with your Koraidon and Miraidon we've been hearing about, we'll let youroam free and our new boss won't hurt you, much!" the two hunters, Jason and Harley, spat despite growing worried.

"If you're trying to hunt down and hurt any Pokémon, wild, lovingly owned and cared for, or legendary, it is my business. Now, tell me and my friends where your leader is along with the rest of the wild Pokémon you've captured!"

"Try and take 'em, you royal ingrate! Hippowdon!"

"Hydreigon, take care of her while we try and finish the job!" the two hunters spat defiantly, summoning their Partner Pokémon.

Liko and Roy were shocked by this but the two young trainers and their partners wouldn't need to worry before Koraidon and Serpent immediately stepped out in front of the group and prepared to defend them and their human caretaker as they got into battle stances.

"Try and stop us," Koraidon snorted before he eyed Serpent.

"You got the hydra there?"

"Yeah, stay out of my way while you pound that hippo hog," Serpent snorted in agreement, both still on the fence with each other.

"Hippo hog?!"

"Hydra?! That's it, I'm not 'bout to let you varmints insult us with cheesy names like those!"

"Agreed, I don't even look like a hog!" Hippowdon and the evil Hydreigon snapped, insulted.

"Hippowdon, Crunch!"

"Hydreigon, Dragon Pulse!" Jason and Harley barked again, having their partners attack Sarah and her Paradox Pokémon while they returned their attention to Moltres.

Sarah didn't respond but pointed at Hippowdon and Hydreigon, signaling Koraidon and Serpent to take them down and she'll do the rest when they're finished. The two Paradox Pokémon counterparts charged at the evil Pokémon with Serpent canceling Dragon Pulse with her tail before Koraidon grabbed his caretaker, placed her on his back, and jumped over Hippowdon before he could land his Crunch attack.

"Screech!" the little princess barked, allowing Koraidon to use his Screech attack and make Hippowdon and Hydreigon cry out in pain (with Jason and Harley doing the same as they covered their ears).

After seeing her give him a trusting glance, Koraidon nodded and began to absorb the sun's energy while Serpent wailed on Hydreigon, pounding the evil Dragon Type despite him fighting back as best he could despite her greater strength and speed. Then, when ready, the prehistoric Paradox Pokémon fired a Solar Beam at Hippowdon, knocking him out as he was blasted into the oasis while crashing into Hydreigon.

"Hey!" snapped Serpent, annoyed.

"You're welcome!" snarked Koraidon, smirking.

"Whoa, what a Solar Beam!"

"Snap!" Friede and Cap gawked in amazement.

"No way!"

"And, with one hit!"

"Amazing!"

"Koraidon's super strong, too!" Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Liko, and Roy gasped, stunned at Koraidon's power and immense trust with Sarah.

The young quartet knew that Koraidon was strong along with Miraidon given their clash with Amethio several months ago but seeing him take out Hippowdon with only a single Solar Beam as well as protecting his savior from his Crunch attack shows how deeply the prehistoric Paradox Pokémon cared for her (despite his and Serpent's earlier spats).

"Nice goin', James! Do I have to do everything around here whenever your lummox of a Ground Type is pounded?"

"I'm a victim of circumstance and so is Hippowdon!"

"Whatever, just hang back a moment! Hydreigon! Get up and pound 'em!" James and Harley argued in annoyance as Hydreigon picked himself up and charged at Serpent again, this time with a Crunch attack.

Serpent braced herself to attack again but Koraidon immediately jumped in and used Counter, glowing red and dodging the evil Brutal Pokémon's Crunch. Then, without warning, he landed a hard right haymaker on his stomach, sending him toward one of the oasis' palm trees and making him crash into its bark (knocking him out as well).

"Oh, come on!" Harley grumbled in defeat before Sarah ensnared him and James with strong ropes via her eggshell white bola arrows fired from her mother's Moon Shield, immobilizing them before they could recall their Pokémon and run away.

"Damn..."

"Now, that's quite the archery work with that thing," Lazuli and Hu, impressed by Sarah's use of one of her new Trick Arrows.

"Come on! What was that for, Dino Ghost?! I had him!" Serpent raged in annoyance at Koraidon who smirked at her.

"That was a last-minute save as Mom would like to put it. By the way, you're welcome, again," he snarked again, making her bristle in anger before she turned away from him yet again in a huff.

Sarah just sighed; she knew it was going to take a while for Koraidon and Serpent to fully trust each other following the incident involving the deaths of Arven's parents at Area Zero. Regardless, she also knew they'd have to learn to work together if they were to stop the rest of the hunters working with Jason and Harley including their new leader. She wanted to speak to them about their strained relationship and how their checkered history parallels that of Silvally and his brothers in one way or another but she knew that right now wasn't the best time to do so.

Putting that in the back of her mind for now, she had Rotoscope ring up Oliver to tell him about the hunters she and the others captured and the Pokémon they rescued from them while bringing out her wand to turn Hippowdon and Hydreigon into Pokémon eggs and release them from James and Harley's hold. In the meantime, Liko, Roy, Cap, Friede, Lazuli, her Pokémon, Hu, Blitz, Curly, Nebby, Flystorm, Fred, Skystorm, Nebula, Fuecoco, and Sprigatito stood guard over the pair while interrogating them about their boss' hunter ring.

"What, you found two of the Pokémon Hunters from the poaching ring causing trouble in the nearby oasis?" he gasped when he picked up.

"Yeah, come here straight away, they're all ready for you. We're going to find their boss and their three colleagues with her. Apparently, they have Bramblim in their grasp amongst the other wild Pokémon they've already captured. We'll bring him back to you once we've retrieved him... Understood, good luck, Oliver," Sarah nodded as Rotoscope ended the call and she turned Hippowdon and Hydreigon back into Pokemon eggs.

Lazuli was stunned as she noticed this and quizzed the little princess, "How did you do that?"

"Reconcinnoor what I called the 'Redemption Charm'; it's a Hogwarts-inspired spell of my own making that allows me to turn a Pokémon back into an egg and make it a blank slate. I use this primarily on evil Pokémon as my own Memory Charm."

"A Memory Charm for evil Pokémon including those owned by Pokémon Hunters by your own hands? That's the noblest thing I'd ever seen coming from you."

"Just like you and your pension for compassion," grinned Friede and Cap, impressed.

"What do we do with Hippowdon and Hydreigon now that their memories are wiped clean, Sarah?" Liko questioned.

"We'll leave them with Oliver and Officer Jenny for them to decide and the same can be said for whatever Pokémon Jason and Harley's leader and colleagues have helping them do their dirty work. But, now that we know of Bramblim's whereabouts and what Jason and Harley's leader and fellow hunters are trying to do, it's time for Operation: Breakout. That girl's got a lot to answer for when she and the rest of her posse are behind bars."

"What about Moltres?" Roy reminded as Koraidon and Serpent freed the captured wild Pokémon from the truck and removed the nets from Moltres.

"I think those two got that covered despite their continued spats," Sarah replied before she joined the two Paradox Pokémon and the Kantonian Legendary Bird after the wild Salandit, Natu, and Skorupi hugged them in gratitude before they scrambled back into the desert. "Hey, you okay there?"

"Mmph, yes, thank you. I owe you my life," Moltres nodded as she ruffled her feathers (its voice through Sarah and the other Pokémon indicating that it was female).

"Are you related to Diancie?"

"Why, yes. She's a close friend of mine and I was supposed to join her and the others after hearing of your exploits but this notorious hunter ring has been causing trouble for the little ones in this desert and I was forced to remain here to look after them before coming to Paldea. I was never told why but after hearing why they were going there and I heard about you, I felt you would be a special human."

"That's what my friends and family and I are here for. We'll help you deal with the hunters and you'll know why Diancie and your other friends came to Paldea."

"Thank you, then you have my trust and assistance to deal with those hunters. After that, I'll gladly join you all in Paldea and learn why you deserve our help."

Sarah nodded in appreciation and with the information of where their colleagues and the new boss they were working for in their hands, Sarah and her party (now joined by Diancie's Moltres friend) went off to rescue Bramblim and the rest of the captured wild Pokémon. And, because they were done with them, James and Harley were left behind along with the Hippowdon and Hydreigon eggs for Officer Jenny, her workforce, and Oliver to deal with.


Eventually, after trekking through the desert according to the directions, they found the people they were looking for with the truck carrying the Pokémon they captured.

"Over there," whispered Cap, pointing everyone to Harley and Jason's colleagues and their new boss.

"Are those four along with Jason and Harley responsible for your capture and those of the other Pokémon from the oasis, Moltres?" Sarah questioned the Legendary Bird with them.

"Indeed, those ruffians came here after hearing those human reports about me. But, their boss-that lady in that strange chair,-is supposedly the worst; she hired them to hound and capture Pokémon she deems cute for her own needs and they tried to do the same to me until you came along," Moltres nodded, glaring darkly at the hunters.

"Well, at least they're three Pokémon short after we rescued Skorupi, Salandit, and Natu."

"Do you think Oliver's Bramblim could be amongst those other ones in that big truck they have with them?" Roy and Liko noted as they saw the pick-up truck with the rest of the captured Pokémon inside (including Bramblim).

"Could be, he probably got himself caught by mistake and those two stooges bribed her to keep it for who-knows-what when she didn't deem it 'cute'," Lazuli replied, retching over Cap's allergy trigger word.

"Ugh, don't remind me," groaned Cap, facepalming in agreement.

"So, what's the plan?" Liko questioned.

"Well, we can't charge them at once since they'll know we're coming for the Pokémon in their grasp and to arrest them. I'm sure that pimpy hag resting in that chair of hers will already have her bases covered should we go for a frontal assault."

"Mmm, I'm sure we'll need to go for a stealth approach on one hand but if it's true with what you said about that girl, we'll need to be extra careful if she's that cunning and smart," Lazuli and Friede bantered, trying to come up with a plan of attack and rescue.

Cap nodded as he agreed to their sentiments, "She'll be a crafty one at that."

Everyone thought for a moment as they stayed in their hiding place, hoping Jason and Harley's colleagues and their boss wouldn't pick them out sooner than expected until the swordswoman suddenly got a brainstorm as she thought back to Cap's allergy and the dynamic between him, Friede, her former charge, and her two Paradox Pokémon, "...Actually, there is a way."

"What?" Liko, Roy, and Friede asked curiously.

"And, to do that, I'll need you all to play along with me."

"What are you talking about?" Sarah pondered, not understanding what Lazuli was getting at.

"You'll see; the rest of you guys fight those dorks head-on in a frontal assault, we're staging a two-phase plan for this Operation: Breakout from before. We'll need to keep their attention somehow if we're to rescue the captured Pokémon and Bramblim."

"That sounds interesting, a two-stage assault... What do you have in mind?" Friede asked, intrigued.

"Lay the smackdown on that girly hunter and her stooges on us, girlfriend," smirked Cap in agreement.


"Huh, what do you mean the others aren't back yet? I'm dying to see what kind of cute Pokémon they've caught when they return! Not to mention the beautiful Moltres we've heard about from those reported sightings! You boys did make sure to prepare for it should we catch sight of it, did ya?"

Speaking of the leader (who was relaxing on a foldable beach chair) and Jason and Harley's colleagues, they were still waiting for the pair to return with the Pokémon they caught and Moltres, all of them unaware of the little princess, her party, and the legendary Kantonian Flame Pokémon coming over to arrest them and free the Pokémon they had on them including Bramblim.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon with the Pokémon from the oasis, Boss. That Moltres, too, will soon be ours as well. We had everything ready thanks to you," the eldest of Jason and Harley's colleagues reassured her before he turned to his fellow hunters. "Hey, you two, until they get here, go get the boss something to drink until they arrive, will ya?!"

"I see...! So, you've all camped out here while collecting 'cute' Pokémon, eh?"

The hunters turned to the owner of the voice (the leader having no idea who it was as she casually turned to her left in her lawn chair) and noticed Sarah, Friede, Liko, Roy, the Pokémon, Cap, Friede, Skystorm, and Flystorm rushing out from their hiding spot to confront them with Moltres landing on the cliff above them and glaring hard at the remaining villains. However, Lazuli, her own Pokémon, and Barkk (who was with her the entire time) were nowhere to be seen.

"Help me!" Bramblim whistled, seeing the heroes arriving at the scene.

"Look, Bramblim's over there!" Roy gasped, seeing Oliver's partner in the truck.

"That Bramblim you have there is a partner belonging to a good friend of mine! I apologize but we're taking him back if you don't mind!"

"And, you can forget about snagging Moltres, too! She's now with us and you're gonna need new equipment if you're going to catch her again!" Friede and Sarah announced, awaiting the hunters' next move.

"The Sun Princess?!" Jason and Harley's colleagues gasped in shock.

"Hey, hey! What the shit are you doing here, Princess? And, who are they?! Like, you're all way too loud!" whined the female hunter, looking annoyed.

"Don't worry, M'am, we'll shut them up! They won't be much of a bother when we're through with those two and those meddling kids with them. And, once we've straightened them out, we'll deal with Moltres, too!" the first hunter snarled reassuringly to the leader before he barked at his colleagues, "Matt, Ron, don't just stand there! Let's finish them and the princess off and get what we came for!"

"Yes, Sir!" the other two hunters, Ron and Matt, complied as all three brought out an Omastar, a Low Key Toxtricity, and a Mudsdale.

"Toxtricity, use Sludge Bomb!"

"Omastar, Rock Tomb, go!"

"Dodge it, Cap!" Friede shouted in response.

Ron and Matt had their respective partners make the first move with Sludge Bomb and Rock Tomb with Friede and Cap going first on the heroes' side as the Brave Olivine captain dodged both attacks before he countered with one of his own.

"Now, use Thunderpunch!"

With that, Cap took care of Toxtricity and Omastar with a hard right Thunderpunch and knocked them back hard. But, when he hit the Mudsdale belonging to the oldest of the hunters, Simms, his Thunderpunch did not affect the evil Draft Horse Pokémon and increased its defense through Stamina.

Worse still, the leader noticed Cap and she couldn't help but gush over him as she squealed, "Ah! I-Is that a...a Pikachu?! EEEEEEEEEE, HOW CUTE!"

"A-Oh, no! BWAAACHO!" Cap freaked as his allergies played up and he began sneezing again.

"A PIKACHU! PIKACHU! I WANT IT, I WANT IT, I WANT IT, I WANT IT~!"

"A Pikachu, eh?"

"So, this is the cute Pokémon you're looking for, Boss?"

"Consider it done," sneered Matt, Ron, and Simms, smirking devilishly at the sneezing Cap and having their Pokémon attack him.

"Toxtricity, Acid!"

"Water Gun, Omastar!"

"Mudsdale, crush him with Bulldoze!"

Seeing their target compromised, Toxtricity, Omastar, and Mudsdale unleashed their might on Cap but he quickly dodged them despite his allergies handicapping him.

"Cap!" Liko cried in alarm.

"He needs help and fast! Fuecoco, use Flamethrower!" Roy added, jumping in.

"Sprigatito, use Leafage!"

Fuecoco and Sprigatito quickly jumped into the fray to protect Cap and give him a hand with their respective attacks, effectively knocking Omastar and Toxtricity back.

"Back off, runts! Mudsdale, Bulldoze them, now!" screamed Simms angrily, having Mudsdale disorientate the three Pokémon with Bulldoze.

"Grr...! So, you won't let us get closer to the cage, huh?" Friede growled, gritting his teeth.

"Friends, hang on!" Bramblim whistled as he tried to use Power Whip to break free from the cage.

"Hey, are you using Power Whip? Good job, Bramblim, keep using Power Whip and break yourself and your fellow Pokémon free!" the unconventional professor grinned at him, noticing something that could help the heroes and everyone else in trouble but to no avail. "Damn, he's not strong enough to break free, huh?"

"COME ON! WHAT'S TAKING YA'LL SO LONG? DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING AROUND HERE?!" the hunter shrieked in anger as she called out her own partner, an Avalugg, which used Blizzard to subdue Bramblim and make the wild Pokemon shiver.

"Bramblim!" Liko and Roy gasped before Bramblim gave off a glow which Friede noticed.

"You might as well give up and hand over your Pokémon and Moltres, peeps, or my Avalugg will kill these Pokémon which won't be cute for me!" the hunter demanded angrily.

Sarah gritted her teeth at the selfish girl as she thought, "Come on, Lazuli! We're running out of time!"

Speaking of the swordswoman, now in her new outfit from Barkk's Miraculous, Lazuli, her Kwami, her Pokémon, Koraidon, and Serpent were on top of that very cliff face the little princess was looking for them from and watched from above, seeing how the others were carrying out her plan. She thought back to when she revealed her idea to them and what she wanted everyone to do to carry out their rescue mission despite knowing how much of a gamble it would be in hindsight.

"Hold on, everybody, just a little bit longer. Cap, Friede, get ready, this is where you come in," she thought determinedly as she held a small light blinker for Cap to see.


(Flashback)

Before the heroes began to confront the hunters and their leader, Lazuli dished out the idea she had in mind to save the wild Pokémon and Bramblim.

"I have a plan that would allow us to get the drop on those hunters including that cat baby and get those Pokémon including Oliver's Bramblim free," Lazuli informed, turning to Friede, Cap, Koraidon, Sarah, and Serpent before casting her eyes on the Brave Olivine Captain. "And, the majority of it deals with you five; if what those stooges from earlier said is true, you'll be Step One and the kickoff to it with your little allergy, Cap."

Everyone was surprised but Cap was shocked as he glared daggers at the swordswoman and demanded, "Again?! Why would you want to make me suffer by having someone call me 'cute'? You're crazy!"

"When that Pokémon-hunting straight-girl and her posse have their sights set on you, Moltres, and the others, after I morph out of sight, Barkk, my Pokémon, and I will get into position and wait for you, Koraidon, and Serpent to join us. If those reports from Officer Jenny about her having a strong Pokémon to subdue her pursuers and keeping the wild Pokémon in her grasp under a leash are true, it'll take an even greater force to take it down a notch."

"Really?"

"You think that...?" Roy and Liko added in surprised realization.

Lazuli nodded as she continued, "We need to make the hunters feel empowered by putting ourselves in a corner and having them push us back in one way or another which means getting all of them to fight back including the girl. Then, while they're distracted, we'll hit them where it really hurts."

She turned to Sarah and asked, "But, I'll need a lot more power to do that from my end. So, with that in mind, kid, would you mind giving me your Paradox Pokemon for the time being?"

"You mean you want them both to help you deal with whatever Pokemon that girl has on her?"

"No how, no way! I'm not working with the new Tony Stark if she keeps being a thorn in my side! Not after how she and my prehistoric bully for a James Rhodes killed Arven's Mom and Dad when they protected me and Miraidon!"

"For the last time, we didn't know any better than you two weaklings did that day! Cut it out, okay?!" spat Koraidon and Serpent who were immediately against working together (being as quiet as they could so they don't attract any attention from the hunters).

"You wanted to kill us because you saw yourselves as superior when you've actually become loose cannons before we met again!"

"Well, at least, Athisua and I can live up to our mistakes and still hold our heads high! What about you-?!"

SLAP!

Everyone was stunned as they saw Sarah slapping the two Paradox Pokémon hard, looking like she was at her wit's end and ready to explode. But, luckily, knowing they had to keep themselves hidden until they confronted the hunters and rescued the Pokémon, the little princess kept her cool and gave the pair a hard glare and proceeded to give them a firm but much-needed dressing down if they were to be on the same page despite their grudge match.

"Alright, enough! These spats of yours are getting us nowhere so I think it's time you two put up, show up, and listen to me right now," she hissed furiously yet quietly, making the pair flinch as they tried to back away from her glare. "Koraidon, Serpent, I know what happened back at Area Zero that day wasn't easy for you but you two, Miraidon, and Athisua were not the only ones with blood on your hands."

"...What?"

"For real, Mom?"

"Silvally and his brothers know this very well; when they were created as Beast Killer Pokémon to fight against the Ultra Beasts, they failed to accept the RKS System they were built with and went on a rampage. 25 people were lost as a result of that fail."

"...No way," Serpent and Koraidon breathed in shocked silence.

"It was still a heavy burden Silvally and his brothers had to carry to this day and they still felt bad for the lives they took after their little rampage in the Aether Foundation before they ended up in my hands along with Race's and Gladion's. But, over time, they've learned to accept that the people they killed can't be brought back but they'll learn to face the future together as long as they have people and Pokémon like us and our families and friends with them."

The little princess looked between Koraidon and Serpent before telling them, "Koraidon, I know what happened to Arven's parents can't be undone but you shouldn't have to continue holding a grudge against her and fight over every trivial thing because of that. And, you, Serpent, the same can be said towards you but you don't have to be so narcissistic about everything when it comes to you and Athisua and your counterparts. However, while redemption and working with others who have a legitimate reason to hate you is seemingly impossible, it's only impossible if you don't take the first step into making a fresh new start. And, that's with you and Athisua working out a way to repent for killing Professor Sada and Professor Toro and becoming better Pokémon out of that incident, especially since Arven had forgiven you for that."

Koraidon and Serpent were silent as Sarah finished, "Even if you do have your moments, I have no doubt you two, Miraidon, and Athisua would do great things together after we brought you two together thanks to Sada and Toro's AIs. But, we can't do anything right now to save Bramblim and the other Pokémon and bring justice to the hunters wanting to hurt them for their own gain if you two keep fighting even for the most trivial things. We're stronger and better if we work together and if you lend us your combined strength when we need it, we'll save Bramblim and the wild Pokémon and bring those hunters to justice."

Lazuli nodded in agreement as she then told the pair, "Koraidon, Serpent, I don't know if you're capable given what I've seen but from the kid's speech, you're much more than you realized when you work together. No matter what, whether or not we can end the source of our little poaching ring will depend entirely on you once the backbone behind them is toast."

She then turned to Friede and Cap with another addition to her plan just for them, "And, if Catwoman raises the stakes somehow, Professor, Cap, when I give the signal, you two need to let loose as the bros you are."

Friede and Cap were confused by what she was saying but it wouldn't be until she revealed the inner details of the next phase of her plan involving them that they would understand what she wanted them to do.

(End Flashback)


While Friede noticed Bramblim glowing from within the cage he and the rest of the wild Pokémon were in, he and Cap gave a brief look up atop the cliff and saw Lazuli and her group with Koraidon and Serpent with the swordswoman flashing a hidden blue lighter towards them. From her current spot, Moltres looked at her and her group, wondering what they were doing. Knowing that her flashing her lighter at them was the signal to begin the next phase of her rescue plan, the Brave Olivine captain and his partner looked at each other as they braced themselves for what was to come.

"I don't like that cat girl, she's not playing nice!"

"Meanies!" spat Nebby and Nebula as they blew raspberries at the hunters and their Pokémon.

"What'll we do?" Liko asked.

"I'm open to suggestions."

"But, what can we do to stop those monsters?"

"I was hoping Friede, Cap, Lazuli, or the princess have a plan."

"Me, too!" Blitz, Curly, Flystorm, and Skystorm bantered.

"Alright. Now, here's what we'll do," Friede decided as he readied himself. "We're taking them down via a frontal assault! Everybody ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Right!" the young trainers and their partners agreed.

However, Cap had other ideas as he stood up and told everyone on his side, "Forget it."

"Huh? You don't want to, Cap?" Liko asked the little Electric Type captain, surprised.

"Cap, you know a frontal assault's the way to go! Now, charge!" Friede argued.

"We need a new plan."

"It's not ideal but it's our only plan of attack! For now, just do what I tell you! If I tell you to charge, you charge!"

"Back off!"

"A-Are they fighting again?" Roy quizzed worriedly.

"Do what you want!" Cap replied firmly before he ran off without warning.

"C-Cap!"

But, Cap ignored Roy as he continued to run and disappear into the canyon, supposedly forsaking his friends and the Pokémon they had to rescue.

"W-What the-?" Sarah blinked, a little flabbergasted by what she saw.

"Well, alright! Have it your way, if that's how you want it! Liko, Roy, you two and Sarah take over from here," Friede snarked back at his partner, sitting on the sand and pouting while leaving the fight to the others.

"Mr. Friede!"

"Why-W-Why?!" Nebby and Nebula shrieked in horror.

"Friede, Cap! W-What...what happened to their bond? What's gotten into them right now?! This is not like what I've seen with Sarah, Koraidon, and Serpent," Liko mused, aghast. "Come to think of it, where are they?! And, where are Lazuli and her Pokemon? We need them right now! Sarah, please! Do something!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Tough luck for you all having one of your star-fighters bail on you halfway through!" Simms cackled in delight.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! What are you doing just cackling about, Simms, you idiot?! This is no time for jokes! My Pikachu's getting away and all you're doing right now is acting like a hair-brained lunatic! STOP THEM!" the leader screeched furiously at him.

"R-Right! Alright, boys, let's finish them off now and get that Pikachu!"

"Yes, Sir!" Matt and Ron agreed.

"Liko, let's take the hunters down and worry about the others later!" Roy reassured.

"Right, my changes to my report will have to wait until then!" Liko agreed, putting her thoughts and her school assignment aside for now.

"Huh, what report?"

"Toxtricity, use Shock Wave!" Matt snapped, having Toxtricity fire his next attack at Sprigatito and Fuecoco.

"Fuecoco, use Flamethrower!" Roy countered, having his partner use Flamethrower to cancel out Shock Wave.

"Omastar, Water Gun, again!" Ron barked, allowing Omastar to fire Water Gun at the pair.

"Sprigatito, Leafage, go!" Liko shouted, having her partner use Leafage to counter Water Gun.

However, the resulting clashes between Flamethrower and Shock Wave and Water Gun and Leafage resulted in both pairs being thrown back by the shockwaves from all four attacks meeting at once. Annoyed by how long Liko, Roy, and their partners were prolonging the fight between them, Simms decided to try and finish them off with one move as he and his Mudsdale went up against them.

"You pests are starting to annoy me! Mudsdale! Bulldoze them again!" he raged, having Mudsdale use Bulldoze to try and take them out only for Sprigatito and Fuecoco to dodge the shockwaves coming from the Ground Type attack as best they could.

All the while, Friede looked at the lady hunter and her Avalugg, seeing them looking smug and having no idea what they and their cohorts were in for (with Liko, Roy, and their partners having Simms, Matt, and Ron's attention on them).

"Avalugg's the only one left right now," he mused as Sarah quietly joined him and readied herself with one of her arrows.

"Shall we?" the little princess whispered, getting an agreeing nod from the unconventional professor before he looked up and...

"...NOW!"

Just then, a tiny ball came from above and touched the truck's cage, causing it to give off a yellow glow before a second shout came out, "Fetch save for Bramblim!"

Suddenly, the wild Skuntank, Whismir, and Sableye vanished from the cage and reappeared next to Lazuli, Barkk, and her Pokémon.

Right now, the swordswoman was in her new Miraculous alter-ego given to her by her Kwami; her uniform consisted of a moderate orange outfit with a black-tipped short tail that had a thin black stripe below it, a white heart on the front outlined in black, a black neck collar and black shoulder pads with an orange stripe for each shoulder between the ends, her hands being white at the back and black by their palms, and ending on large shorts. There was also a pair of black pants with white bits starting from her kneecaps and a black stripe atop the white areas.

A moderate orange and white and black-outlined face mask came over her eyes (the orange coloration on the bottom and white on the top half) and a beret of the same color was over her head sporting a black brim and two appendices came from them that looked like dog ears.

Her ball tool hung by her black turtleneck and her sword hung from its normal spot on the left side of her waist via her new metallic gold waist belt.

Once she was done and the wild Pokémon were safe, two roars sounded out as Koraidon, Serpent, and Cap jumped from the cliff and fell atop Avalugg, nailing the powerful Ice Type with a combo attack and Thunderpunch as it roared in pain. The damage to the evil Iceberg Pokémon was so severe that the trio, thanks to their combined drilling impact and the initiative to hit it on the head, immediately knocked it out and jumped off the evil Ice Type. They glared at Simms, Ron, Matt, and their partners as the leader looked on at her downed partner, aghast before Lazuli, her Pokémon, and the wild ones she freed jumped off the cliff and landed atop the truck to rejoin the others.

"A-A-AAHH! AVALUGG, DARLING!" wailed the lady hunter in horror as she toddled to her Avalugg, making Serpent and Koraidon roll their eyes at her.

"I-IMPOSSIBLE! Mudsdale, Mud Slap!" Simms shrieked, forcing Mudsdale to attack only for the trio to dodge and rejoin the heroes.

"It's done!" Cap smirked proudly.

"We did it, Mom!"

"The wild Pokémon are free!" agreed Koraidon and Serpent victoriously to Sarah.

"Cap, Koraidon, Serpent, Lazuli?!"

"What's going on here?" Liko and Roy peeped, astonished as Friede and Sarah grinned at the trio.

"Nice timing there, Cap!"

"Good work, you two. You and Lazuli sure pulled a fast one on them," the pair praised just as Liko noticed Bramblim being the only one left in the cage.

"Now, we just need to rescue Bramblin!"

"It's alright, Liko. Leave it to him," Friede reassured before he turned to Bramblin. "Bramblin, spin as fast as you can using Rapid Spin!"

"Yes, Sir!" Bramblin agreed as he used Rapid Spin, spinning as fast as he could and giving off a familiar glow.

When the glow died down and everyone saw what became of the little Tumbleweed Pokémon, they were surprised to discover that he became a larger version of himself but with more thorns than he already had.

Most of the thorns are now brownish yellow with purple tips while his base body and center front branch are entirely dark brown. With the center front branch, he now had two smaller branches near his base which when combined with his diamond-shaped, leaf-like eyes (with his right eye being black with a thin red pupil and vice-versa for his left eye and surrounded by smaller tumbleweeds made of three stalks), formed his new face (the smaller branches acting as his lips, allowing him to form expressions such as smiling and frowning while his eyes flip and rotate instead of blinking to help him further express his emotions).

"Brambleghast, reporting for duty!"the newly evolved Brambleghast hissed with a determined grin.

"Bramblin evolved!" gasped Roy.

Friede smirked as he added, "Bramblin wouldn't do much with his previous strength but now that he's evolved into a Brambleghast... Okay, Brambleghast, let Sarah work her magic and break out with Power Whip again!"

"Alright, Brambleghast! Now!" Sarah cried out, firing an Ice Arrow at the truck's cage.

The Ice Arrow hit the truck's cage and covered its back in a wall of ice, allowing Brambleghast to use Power Whip to slice and dice his way out and destroy it, making his way to the heroes. The hunters were in utter shock and disbelief to see the tide turning against them while Moltres was impressed by how the heroes had pulled off their surprise rescue and everything that happened after.

"No way...!"

"That was crazy!" Skystorm and Flystorm gawked in shocked amazement while Fred yipped happily.

"How did you know he was going to evolve, Mr. Friede?" breathed a stunned Nebula.

"That's simple; Bramblin are Pokémon that evolve by rolling around a lot in the desert. Oliver's partner must've been ready to become Brambleghast as he tumbled about while we tried to catch him earlier. I noticed the glow he gave off after he tried to escape earlier and Avalugg stopped him using Blizzard so if we had the hunters take their eyes off of him and the other Pokémon, we would help him do so. When I told Lazuli this, she immediately caught on."


(Flashback)

"And, if Catwoman raises the stakes somehow, Professor, Cap, when I give the signal, you two need to let loose as the bros you are."

"Huh?"

"What?" Friede and Cap asked, confused.

"You've got to find some way to get those morons to take their eyes off the cage should she raise the stakes on us. Then, once we're in position after you do your thing, it's 'Bye-bye, Pokémon Hunters Time' when Barkk and I enter the fray."

Lazuli then turned to her Pokémon and said to them, "Timburr, Delight, Woobat, Roggenrola, guys, come with me!"

"Lazuli, wait! I might have a little tippet you'll want to hear involving Bramblin," Friede whispered, stopping the swordswoman from leaving.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's a hunch but I think Bramblin might evolve soon after rolling around in the wind for so long," he answered, surprising her until she thought it over and widened her eyes before she gave a sly nod and smile.

Then, once Friede and Cap had their phony argument carried out and the latter ran off, the Brave Olivine captain joined up with the swordswoman, her Pokémon, Koraidon, and Serpent before he gave her a thumbs-up and a wink. Smiling in reply, they watched everything from down below until Friede gave them the signal to strike and rescue the captured Pokémon while leaving Bramblin behind on purpose (taking note of his upcoming evolution).

(End Flashback)


"...That, I didn't know about when you two started whispering," Sarah admitted, surprised.

"It was an awesome plan she came up with."

"Yeah, even I admit it wasn't too bad. And, you're right, we did work better together, too," Koraidon and Serpent added, impressed.

"So, does that mean that argument you and Cap had was a lie, Mr. Friede?" put in an amazed Nebby.

"Heh, yep, I was ad-libbing the whole time. Lazuli flashed a lighter she had on her at Cap and I to tell us she, Koraidon, Barkk, and Serpent were ready, especially since Cap knew it was time to execute our part of her plan. So, we decided to play along to see if it would work and it did. Good on ya and the others, Cap."

"You too, Pal," Cap smirked at his partner in reply.

"DAMN YOU! Don't you ever know when to SHUT UP?!" the lady hunter snapped, incensed as she glared daggers at the heroes for humiliating her and her posse.

"Cut-! Cut-! CUTE, NO WAY!"

Cap and Friede (who braced themselves for the return of the former's allergies) both breathed a sigh of relief; because the Brave Olivine captain proved himself to be a crafty and tough cookie, the lady hunter ultimately decided that he was not cute at all and passed up on capturing her. This made it easier for him and the others as he, Serpent, and Koraidon prepared to deliver the final blow, sharing a knowing nod between them while readying themselves for a final assault.

"Toxtricity, Sludge Bomb, now!"

"Omastar, use Rock Tomb!" Matt and Ron shouted, not wanting to quit.

"Twin Tail Smash!" Sarah called out, allowing her two Paradox Pokémon to charge at Sludge Bomb and Rock Tomb before canceling them with Tail Smash. "Alright, you two, ready to finish them with Cap?"

"Yeah!" Koraidon and Serpent cheered, smirking as Sarah took out a Move Card for Koraidon to use.

"Come on, Koraidon! Serpent, you and Cap follow! Ability, Activate: Emerald Green!"

Showing no mercy to the hunters' remaining Pokémon, Koraidon unleashed the new Grass Type move normally used by Paris, Mia, and Fuki as he enveloped Toxtricity, Omastar, and Mudsdale in a green glow and sapped them of their energy (with Mudsdale trying to fight back against his energy being drained) before Serpent charged at the former two and threw them into the air.

"Serpent, finish them with Shadow Claw!"

"Thunderpunch, now!"

The two Electric Types quickly joined forces as Cap and Serpent pounded and slashed them with Thunderpunch and Shadow Claw, dealing major blows to Toxtricity and Omastar before setting their sights on Mudsdale.

However, Simms wasn't about to go down without a fight as he sneered defiantly at his opponents and shouted to Mudsdale, "Hmph! Your Electric and Dark Type attacks are no match for my partner! Mudsdale, crush them with Stomp!"

But, little did Simms realize he had made a big mistake; Cap and Serpent weren't really aiming their final attacks toward Mudsdale but rather Toxtricity and Omastar as they came back down towards them.

"Take...THIS!"

"Game over, dummy bunnies!" roared Cap and Serpent as the former unleashed a final Thunderpunch and the latter unleashed Discharge to boost its power.

That did the trick as Toxtricity and Omastar were covered in a lot of electricity and sent flying toward Mudsdale who had no response to the unexpected turnabout as they bumped into him and all three were thrown into the truck's cage, completely knocked out.

The lady hunter was devastated as she slumped down and meekly said, "T-T-This, c-can't be..."

That was all she could get out of herself before Sarah fired her Bola Arrows to tie her, Simms, Matt, and Ron up so she and the others could hand them over to Oliver and Officer Jenny.

"We did it, Cap."

"Back atcha!" grinned Cap and Friede as they shared a victorious high-five (with Cap using his tail) as Sarah approached Serpent and Koraidon.

The pair turned to their human caretaker and smiled, prompting the little princess to smile back proudly at them before she said, "You did it, you two. I'm proud of you..."

"Sure."

"Yeah, Mom!" they grinned as they nuzzled her happily and she hugged them in return while Hu gave Lazuli and her group a proud smile and a wink while the wild Pokémon thanked the heroes for rescuing them before they made their way back to their desert homes.

As Sarah, Koraidon, Serpent, Cap, and Friede shared their moments of triumph, Liko couldn't help but smile warmly at them all. However, as she returned her attention to her best friend and her Paradox Pokémon, she was left with no doubt about how extraordinary they were together despite the pair's previous spats and how rocky things got between them throughout everyone's crime-fighting escapade. She would have no problem with her report involving them, after all.

"Sarah, Koraidon, and Serpent; they were truly amazing when I saw them in action. They never cease to amaze me..."


The following day, the Brave Olivine and Dragon Craft were on their way to their next adventure as they flew amongst the clouds and the clear blue sky. While Sprigatito had her cat nap as usual, Liko was back in class as she gave her report about her best friend, Serpent, and Koraidon with her entire class and their teacher listening with great intrigue as to how they inspired her to be the trainer she's becoming each day.

"I can't really describe what made them so wonderful to me or their bond, but I know one thing; whenever I'm around Sarah and her Pokémon throughout our adventures..."

She thought back to when her group reunited Oliver with Brambleghast (who was delighted to see that he had evolved and was unharmed), the moment when Sarah handed him, Officer Jenny, and their fellow agents the lady hunter, Jason, Harley, Simms, Ron, and Matt to be carted off to jail with all of them praising her, her family, and her friends for their efforts, and when the Rising Volt Tacklers got their pay with Friede, Cap, Lazuli, Hu, and Sarah telling the others everything that went down (making them gain more respect from everyone with how they handled the entire case despite how rocky it had been for them).

"My heart starts racing, I get excited! We do wind up in rough spots now and then... But, once we see the light at the end of the tunnel, I feel like I've grown stronger from them. Having her there with me gives me all the courage I need to move towards the future! Someday, I hope to become a fine trainer just like her. And, that's why...until my journey ends, wherever that may be, I intend to keep watching and learning from them!"

The episode ends as the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft continue to fly amongst the clouds while Cap and Friede are in the airship's bridge and Sarah, Koraidon, Blitz, Friede, Serpent, and Curly spend a little time together on the Dragon Craft's sundeck, feeling glad that the two Paradox Pokémon were on track to trust each other more often and Liko gaining rapturous applause from her teacher and her entire class for her report.


[Epilogue]

It was nighttime as the heroes made their way towards their next destination where their next adventure might be. Sarah was glad to catch some much-needed shuteye, knowing she had it rough throughout the previous trying to keep Serpent and Koraidon from going AWOL on each other while she and her party were catching the hunters. She knew it was only another stepping stone for them to trust each other fully but she still vowed to take each day in stride for both of their sakes.

As she slept in her bedroom, she had a certain Animus object in her hands known only as a Dreamvisitor. With it, she entered the dreamscape of a certain Legendary Pokémon. However, the little princess intentionally slept with it because she wanted to find and talk with Lucius' Rayquaza in more peaceful circumstances now that everybody no longer had to worry about Amethio or the other Explorers butting in at the worst time.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself floating in a dreamscape that more or less resembled the mountainous and mysterious peaks of China's Mount Wudang but bordering the heavens separating the world below and the ozone layer.

Seeing her surroundings and realizing she was in Rayquaza's dreamscape, Sarah didn't hesitate to shout to the Terastallized Shiny Sky High Pokémon, "Rayquaza! Rayquaza! Rayquaza, are you out there?! Please, I need to speak with you!"

The leader of the Six Heroes didn't hesitate as well to answer her calls as he appeared from the heavens above and noticed the little princess before him, looking greatly surprised and shocked as he calmly demanded, "YOU...! I REMEMBER YOU... HOW DID YOU ENTER MY DREAMSCAPE?"

Sarah pulled out her Dream Visitor and showed it to Rayquaza, telling him, "My Dreamvisitor, a dream catcher infused with Animus Magic; whenever I use it, it allows me to enter someone else's dreamscape willingly while I'm asleep. I used it to find you specifically tonight."

"OH...? HMPH, IF YOU SAY SO. NOW, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT?"

"As I said before, I just wanted to talk to you. You might not know already but my friends, my family, and I... We have your family safely with us. That's what Marena and I wanted to talk to you about; why she and Lucius had to separate you guys over a century ago..."

"I KNOW... I'VE HEARD EVERYTHING."

Sarah was stunned as her eyes widened, "You did?"

"I SENSED YOU ALL ON YOUR DRAGONSTONE ISLAND. I UNDERSTAND NOW WHY FATHER AND MOTHER DID WHAT THEY DID..."

Sarah didn't know what to say until Rayquaza continued, "UP UNTIL NOW, I'VE NO IDEA MARENA KEPT ENTEI AND KLEAVOR WITH HER DESPITE SEPARATING LAPRAS, MOLTRES, AND ARBOLIVA FROM THEM AND HERSELF. AFTER FATHER REMAINED IN LAQUA, I DON'T KNOW WHAT BECAME OF HIM NOR DID I KNOW THAT MARENA FORCED HERSELF INTO SELF-EXILE LONGER THAN ANY OF US DID BEFORE MEETING HER. I ALSO DIDN'T KNOW OF THE TWO WARS THAT CLAIMED MANY OF HER FRIENDS FROM HER TRIBE... I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THE TRUTH WHEN ENTEI AND KLEAVOR TOLD THE OTHERS EVERYTHING BUT WHEN I HEARD THEM AND MARENA SING HER AND LUCIUS' SONG FROM THEIR WEDDING, I THOUGHT IT OVER..."

"...You remembered the pact you all made with Lucius all those years ago, about reuniting with him in Lakua when the time's right?"

Rayquaza nodded in confirmation, allowing the little princess to continue, "Now that you know everything, will you lend us your strength and rejoin your family? Right now, the only thing Marena wishes involving you and the rest of the Six Heroes is to be together again. She wants you all, Lucius, and her to be a family once more... We, my family, my friends, and I will do everything in our combined power to protect you from the Explorers, at all costs. Reader told me they'll somehow lure you to Levincia some time later with a machine generating an energy field similar to Terapagos' when he called out to you."

Rayquaza was silent for a moment but he let out a small huff as he told her before giving her a gentle purr of interest, "I'LL NEVER ALLOW THOSE FOOLS TO CATCH ME OFF GUARD AND IF THAT BOY WHO TRIED TO CHALLENGE ME IS THINKING OF A SECOND CHANCE AT A BATTLE, HE'LL HAVE HIS WORK CUT OUT FOR HIM. BUT, YOU... YOU AND THE THREE TERAPAGOS ALONG WITH THE ONE BELONGING TO THE LITTLE GIRL AND MARENA, I MIGHT CONSIDER... YOU ESPECIALLY PIQUED MY INTEREST; AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, NO MERE MORTAL HAS EVER MANAGED TO PERFORM DRAGON'S ASCENT, USE IT AGAINST ME, AND LIVED TO TELL THE TALE..."

"...Then, I'll leave it up to you, then. But, still, will you come back to us and talk to Marena for her sake?"

"...WE'LL SEE, YOUNG LADY, I'M ON THE FENCE ABOUT THAT. NOT A DEFINITE 'YES' OR 'NO' AS YOU HOPED OR FEARED, MORE LIKE A...'MAYBE', AS YOU HUMANS WOULD PUT IT. THAT'S UP TO FATE... STILL, I THANK YOU FOR THE WARNING. THAT TRAP YOU TOLD ME ABOUT, I'LL KEEP MY GUARD UP. BUT, WHETHER OR NOT I WILL ACCEPT YOUR OFFER WILL COME TO PASS WHEN WE MEET AGAIN..."

"I'll let you know when..."

Rayquaza nodded, and with that, Sarah vanished from his dreamscape and returned to reality as she continued to sleep. After their little chat, she was content; she knew she had done the right thing for him, Marena, and their family. With Rayquaza now in the know about the Big Three and Spinel's next eventual plan of attack, what happens when the time comes for the heroes' next confrontation with them will truly be up to fate.

To Be Continued...