Liko - Our adventure with the Rising Volt Tacklers and the Power Rangers continues! Recently, my pendant turned into a mysterious Pokemon called Terapagos, the same Pokémon in the care of Princess Sarah Tomoe and her husband, Race Konami. However, while their Terapagos were happy living with them, my Terapagos wanted nothing more than to find a legendary paradise called Laqua. To do that, we need to find the final member of Lucius' Six Heroes, their leader and his first partner: Rayquaza, and help Terapagos regain the powers it once had. To solve the mysteries surrounding it and find Rayquaza, we've returned to the Paldea Region!
Our heroes are reaching the final stretches of Summer with the arrival of August 18th just two days after Sarah, her family, Liko, Roy, Dot, Lazuli, their Pokémon, their dragons, Petunia, and Stardust returned from their sleepover in Equestria with Sarah's pony friends. Of course, as to be expected from the friendly cook himself, Murdock was ecstatic to see Dot and learn how she had been doing throughout that time (much to her continued chagrin over her uncle's smothering his love on her as he did) upon their return with Rotoscope showing the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers everything that went down (leaving them incredibly surprised by the night's events).
But, it was time for everybody to kick back before returning to Cabo Poco for Race, Sarah, and Asha's next term at Uva Academy as Friede surprised everybody with a trip to the beach near Levincia for a little seaside fun which they all agreed to.
"Ah! YEAH! We're finally here!"
"HELLO, PARADISE!" yelled Roy and Fuecoco ecstatically as everybody else joined them (with most of the heroes wearing beach attire as they planned to swim in the ocean, make sandcastles, and get a sun tan amongst many things).
This included Lazuli wearing a red-and-yellow one-piece swimsuit Sarah and Ortega bought for her the day before with Hu and Mistral's blessings despite her protests.
"The ocean looks so pretty!" Liko breathed in awe at the beach and the sea on the horizon before the group began setting up their beach spot.
"I am so getting you two, Mr. Hu, and Ms. Mistral for this," Lazuli hissed at Ortega and Sarah as she blushed over how she looked in her one-piece swimsuit and the pair sneered at her with knowing and cheeky smirks.
"Wow, now this is a sight for sore eyes."
"Yeah, I never knew how much I actually missed a beach after being away from home for some time."
"Kinda reminds me of the beaches we used to go to all the time back in Alola," Ash, Mallow, and Kiawe commented as they, Lana, Sophocles, and Lillie smiled sentimentally at the beach and the ocean before them.
"So pretty..."
"I sure miss this view."
"If we weren't in Paldea, it's like we never left home at all," the latter three agreed as they sighed at the view before them and their friends with blissful sentimentality.
"BEACH PARTY!" Darla, Barkk, Enix, Snickers, Paws, Simon, Comet, Admiral, Tikki and the other Kwamis, the Renlings, and Mei Shi screamed excitedly with Astraeus babbling in his human mother's arms and Petunia cooed and babbled happily from Lazuli's right shoulder, sharing their excitement.
"LOOK OUT!" Roy laughed as he, Fuecoco, Rockruff, Spike, Rusty, Molly, and Luna ran down to the beach and playfully escaped from the tide's waves coming ashore as it tried to catch them.
"The view from this beach is truly magnificent," Virizion smiled as the Swords of Justice looked on.
"Yeah, and the kids are really themselves after Lazuli, Dot, Liko, and Roy's first sleepover. Heh, good thing we haven't heard from the Explorers in a while since that scuffle with Amethio after meeting Lucius' Rayquaza again or we'd be in big trouble. Why not have a bit of fun while we're at it, Cobalion?" Terrakion grinned with a chuckle as he turned to Cobalion.
"Terrakion's right, Cobalion. We all could use a break after everything we've been through so why not let loose even if it's for today, alright?" Keldeo agreed, smiling.
"Let's do it!"
"Yeah! Come on, Cobalion!"
"Can we play?"
"I want to swim!"
"I wanna make a sandcastle!"
"I'm ready to surf!" Andres, Whisker, Arctozolt, Dracozolt, Rampardos, and Vaporeon added.
"I wouldn't mind a day out at the beach, Cobalion, since that's what Mother and everyone else is in for today," Nyasi smiled at the Iron Will Pokemon as he took off his blanket so he wouldn't get it wet while swimming.
"Come on, Uncle Cobalion!"
"Let's give it a go!"
"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" the younger Jungle Pokémon pleaded eagerly, pulling off the sad puppy eyes on him.
Cobalion tried to ignore everyone's pleas (knowing that the Explorers could jump them at any second while they had their guard down and their backs were turned) but after seeing the younger Jungle Pokémon's puppy eyes and looking at Petunia and Astraeus as they babbled and cooed at him with a shared cute smile between them, the Iron Will Pokémon had no choice but to admit defeat.
"...Oh, well. If we must, we must," he sighed heavily.
"HOORAY!"
"Alright, let's go!"
"Yep, yep, yep! We're going to have a beach party today!" cheered Slurpuff, Prinplup, and Quilava.
"Are you kidding?! A beach party, I'd totally go for one right now!" Goh grinned excitedly.
"PARTY!"
"Now, that's a day I can down n' dirty on!"
"A beach party by the seaside will be most exhilarating," Grookey, Cinderace, and Inteleon approved, sharing Goh's sentiments as they and some of the others approached the rolling waves.
"You guys should definitely savor time while on Paldea's beaches before you leave!" Polar grinned.
"Of course, taking the time needed to relax and not worry too much is the best way to heighten your senses," Varokuna concurred.
"Don't wander off, now, you lot!" Cap warned firmly.
"It's alright, Cap, dear. We'll make sure they, Liko, their dragons, and the kids don't get into any trouble today," Delilah reassured the Brave Olivine's captain kindly.
"Roy, Fuecoco, everybody! Make the most of your time at the beach and work up the heartiest appetites you can muster! Tonight, we're going to be having a barbecue for dinner!" Murdock called with a grin.
"Barbecue?! ALRIGHT, YEAH!" Ash, Sophocles, Goh, and Roy screamed heartily, eagerly looking forward to a beachside barbecue.
"YAHOO!" Fuecoco, Togedemaru, Vikavolt, and Pikachu cheered, sharing their partners' sentiments.
"Hey, Friede, Murdock, aren't Mollie and Orla coming to join us today?" Kieran asked the friendly cook and the unconventional professor.
"Yeah, don't worry, they're tying up some loose ends back at the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft with MK-1 and the others staying behind to look after them," Friede reassured.
"They've been working hard for some time now and deserve a chance to kick back and enjoy the bare necessities just as we do."
"We'll go stock up on the ingredients we'll need for tonight's barbeque."
"So, while we're out in town, don't get into any trouble, all of you, okay?"
"Okay," the trainers, the students, and the little princess agreed.
"If it's no trouble with you, I will stay with Sarah's family and help look after everyone while you're away," Ludlow offered while he was having tea.
"Alright, Gramps, I'm counting on you," Friede nodded to his grandfather before he, Cap, and Murdock went off to get their supplies for the evening barbecue.
"Have a nice trip!" Ash and the Pokemon School Gang called as they left.
"Hey, Ludlow! Aren't you coming with us to go swimming later?" Roy asked the fisherman.
"Thanks for the offer, Roy, but I feel at ease admiring the sea from where I am now."
"Okay, then... Hey, Sarah, where's Dot?"
Sarah smiled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head and replied, "Well, I tried to invite her over but..."
(Flashback)
True to form, Dot chose to stay in her room again for the day despite confirming that she was staying with everyone as she told Bianca days ago and Sarah's invitation to join them for their beach party. However, her mentioning the sea prompted the young recluse to go on a paranoid rant about any potential dangers of going there in her mind.
"What?! The sea?!"
"Yeah, Friede's treating us to a beach party for the day to help us relax after everything we've been through. Besides, it's not like we'll be seeing or hearing from Iono again since she already has her hands tied up with her gym leader duties and livestreams. Why not kick back and enjoy a bit of sun, surf, and sand for a change?"
"Yeah, but... Mm, you end up all sticky with salt water if you go for a swim there, it stings like mad when you get a major case of sunburn and end up getting skin cancer as a result, and it's the worst when your skin starts peeling... Why would I even want to go to the beach?"
Sarah gave an awkward yet defeated shrug while Rosie, Crest, Chili, Blitz, Curly, and Quaxly sighed at her paranoia over the little things happening at a beach that are easily dealt with by common sense. Despite that, as the little princess and her Pokémon joining her left to meet up with the others, Plume wanted to see Dot smile and have fun again, getting a mischievous spark in his eyes which Quaxly noticed and approved with a small wink.
(End Flashback)
The others staying behind (apart from Ludlow) sniggered as Roy could only reply, "Well, that's typical of Dot."
"I'll say but since Plume was with her, I'd say he'll have her covered before you know it," Penny agreed, surprising the group as they stared at her.
"What do you mean, Penny?" Arven asked the Team Star leader who noticed the girl they were missing and smirked as she pointed to the young recluse.
"Come on, Plume! What are you doing?! Let go! I don't want to! You know why I can't do this! Why?! I said, 'no'!"
There, gently carrying a protesting Dot by the back collar of her jacket and carefully plopping her beside Ludlow, was Plume who was also carrying a small pack full of beach supplies including sunscreen along with an additional towel and umbrella. And, trailing behind him were Quaxly and Tinkatink (the Metalsmith Pokémon having custom floaties on her arms and her hammer in a waterproof wrap made for her for such an occasion by Sarah herself).
"Dot no stay at ship! Dot have fun, fun, fun!"Plume chirped happily.
Kukui and Burnet (who was holding Lei again while he had his morning bottle and wearing floaties of his own) could only laugh as the Alolan Professor commented, "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Looks like Plume pulled a Sucker Punch on you 'cause he didn't want you to miss out on all the fun!"
Burnet could only agree, "Don't be down on it, Dot. Just think of this as another learning experience for you, you'll be surprised to find that playing by the sea can be just as entertaining and fun despite what you told Sarah earlier."
"Why me...?" the young recluse sighed curmudgeonly as Quaxly winked at Plume in gratitude.
"Hey, now! What's this we hear about a beach party, fellas? You think you can have a fun day in the sun day without US, eh?"
Everyone turned in surprise to the owner of the voice who just spoke, and there, pulling up to them from behind on the road, were Liberty and the Junior Patrollers coming aboard her Mighty Scooter (with Tot, Nano, and Mini riding alongside her on the sidecar) and a trailer attached to it from behind (the rest of the Junior Patrollers riding inside it until its door opened and they popped out, waving hello to their family and the others).
"Yo, what up, dogs, girlfriend?" the dachshund grinned.
"No party is too big, no pup is too small!" cheered the Poms as they and their fellow Junior Patrollers howled, making everybody laugh and smile in surprise at them before they heard a series of happy clicks and whistles in the sea.
The heroes turned and soon saw a small pod of Finizen breaching the ocean's surface as they happily went about their own business.
"Whoa! Look at those Pokemon!"
"That's so cool!"
"I've never seen Pokémon like them before! They're so cute!"
"I'm seeing brand new Water Pokémon!"
"They're so adorable, I wonder what kind of Water Type Pokémon they are!" Mallow, Lana, and Lillie gushed.
"Well, what do you know? A pod of Finizen!" chuckled Sarah.
"Finizen?! Incoming new data! This is going to be a new aquatic entry for the ages and a solid addition to the Aether Foundation's Pokémon Conservation and Rehabilitation efforts!" Rotom-Dex buzzed gleefully as he scanned the dolphin-like Pokémon. "Finizen, the Dolphin Pokemon. A Water Type; it likes to play with others of its own kind using the water ring on its tail and makes ultrasonic soundwaves to sense the emotions of other living things."
Soon, they heard Sprigatito meowing eagerly and they turned to see her getting ready to pounce on what was supposedly a white Diglett as Liko asked her, "Sprigatito, what did you see?"
Sprigatito pounced on the Diglett after jumping towards it but it burrowed under the sand and she missed before the group saw it popping out next to her.
"Is that a white Diglett?" Roy puzzled curiously before the Diglett extended itself, startling everybody save for the Paldea School Gang, Sarah, Race, Asha, and their family as they smiled at it.
"Wha-?!"
"That's long!" Roy and Liko yelped before Rotoscope scanned the Pokemon, seeing it as a Wiglett.
"Close but no cigar, Adventure Boy. Digletts are Ground Types but this here is a Water Type," the Pink Rotom Phone replied as he read its entry. "Wiglett, the Garden Eel Pokémon. A Water Type; while it may look like a Diglett due to a coincidental result of environmental adaptation, it is an entirely different Pokémon altogether. When it picks up the scent of a Veluza from over 65 feet away, it will hide itself in the sand."
"So, it's an entirely new Pokemon from Paldea? That's awesome!" Roy beamed as Sprigatito tried to pounce at the Wiglett again while it played with her, burrowing underground and making her follow it before the heroes noticed some other Pokémon at the beach including a Shellder, a Marill, a Sandygast, and a Chewtle.
"Wow, look at all those Pokémon!" Roy beamed again.
"The beach near Levincia and the sea it touches are as clean as a whistle. The place has become a hotspot for locals, tourists, and the Pokémon be they wild or owned, we've yet to see a grinch about in these parts," Race smiled.
"It's the best! And, you know who's responsible for the cleanliness of our beloved beach? 'Tis I!" a man grinned broadly as he appeared from out of nowhere with a Trubbish on his head and startled the heroes (while carrying a trash bag he finished filling that was full of trash they'd just picked up). "I work day in and day out with my good buddy, Trubbish, who just loves to eat trash, thus preserving the purity and beauty of my fair sea!"
"For cleanliness and purity for all waters!" Trubbish declared proudly as a wave splashed behind them following their declaration.
"Man, you surprised us," Roy gulped.
"Uh... And, who exactly might you be, Sir?" added Liko awkwardly.
"You can call me Mr. Swimsuit Man if you want!"
"And, I'm Picker-Upper!"
"Uh, Swimsuit..."
"...Man, huh?"
"To put it simply, I'm just a guy willing to go above and beyond the call of duty for my beloved sea!" the man replied before he and his Trubbish noticed some more trash left on the beach. "Oops, gotta go! We just got ourselves some debris from a few litterbugs! Let's get busy, pal!"
"Right behind ya!"
"He's obsessed with his job..."
"But, he sure loves the sea," Sophocles and Lana commented.
Unbeknownst to the others, Ludlow noticed the Finizen and he absently said to the pod (or to a Finizen amongst the pod he supposedly knew), "Hmm, it's been a while, old friend..."
(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)
Without delay, the heroes began to enjoy themselves with their day out on the beach; the Junior Patrollers along with Mittens and Casper (both in their Live Forms), Nagini, Avel, Felix, Cosmo, Lyla, Pumpernickel, Pumpkin, Pepper, Dart, Pouncer, Ruffrunner, Splattertail, Goggles, Zoura, Hawkeye, Starlight, Eclipse, Pearl, Amethyst, Diamond, Sunset, Pyre, Wildfire, Crescent, Skylar, Flora, Cantana, Wyveon, Rheagal, Viper, Kayda, Edna, Wooloo, Ponyta, Yamper, Skitty, Eevee, Tony, and Jessie got together to play in the waves. As they did so, their respective parents, Raksha, Tyrantrum, Aurorus, Rampardos, Fahari, and Barafu watched them from the shore, hoping they wouldn't get into trouble behind their backs.
Liberty had also turned her new trailer into a portable beach hut with her owner's help as they set up their family's beach spot, integrating colorful beach parasols in the sand, lawn chairs set up in a semi-circle, a large beach blanket laid flat on center, a portable cooler with snacks and drinks put beside it, and a small mesh-sided folding tent to provide extra shade coupled with soft pillows and some beach toys inside.
The little princess even invited Diancie and her friends to take time off and enjoy themselves before the impending battle against the Explorers and their latest attempt to subdue and capture Lucius' Rayquaza (which they gladly accepted).
Upon meeting with her group's human charge, the Jewel Pokémon could only smile in appreciation as she thanked her for the offer, "Sarah, we thank you for this most prodigious opportunity. This place is wonderful and I think you couldn't have picked a better place to take time off and do whatever you humans and our fellow Pokémon do to relax and have fun."
"I'm glad you think so, Diancie, so you might as well make the most of it. It's a good thing I tweaked my variant of the Fidelus Charm to keep you all and my and Race's mythicals hidden apart from us, I could do without the paparazzi," Sarah replied.
"Well, you did want to give that variation of it a spin after creating it. I only hope the Ministry of Magic or any other place responsible for keeping the peace in the Wizarding World doesn't have our heads for that," Race remarked as he finished setting up one of the royal family's last parasols.
"Still, it's remarkable for a wizard or witch to make a modern variant of one of my world's ancient spells. Might I also add, Princess, you've managed to do without any formal training in magic apart from my private lessons since we first met? You could put some of today's up-and-coming and most famous witches and wizards to shame with that," Tsukumaro added, sounding impressed as he had been the one his goddaughter turned to for help with her variation of the Fidelus Charm she decided to call "Fidelius Bestia".
The old advisor as he then snarked at her, "But, bloody hell... When you came to me a few days ago, wanting my help with creating your own rendition of the Fidelus Charm, I wondered to myself, 'What the devil are you playing at regarding that spell?'. You know as well as I do, Princess, that creating variations of ancient spells is dangerous and that the results could be disastrous if they don't play out as you hoped! Even if it was to keep your mythicals and Ms. Diancie and her friends out of the public eye for their sake even though we'd thankfully still see them!"
"I wasn't getting into trouble by doing that! I just...I didn't want them and our dinosaurs to feel left out. It was the chance of a lifetime for them to be free while having fun at Friede's beach party after everything we've been through or getting bored for weeks on end."
Unlike the original Fidelius Charm, "Fidelius Bestia" was designed to shield magical creatures AND Legendary/Mythical Pokémon from prying eyes by making them and their locations invisible and untraceable to everyone barring their Secret Keeper(s) (which, in this case, was Sarah) unless she voluntarily told them.
So, now, with the modified Fidelius Charm in place and their dinosaurs and mythicals out in the open but in their eyes and everyone else (who are in the know about them including their friends and human family who were told as per Sarah's jurisdiction as their Secret Keeper), the royal couple can travel the world easily with their entire family around without causing a stir.
With the young trainers, Liko and Roy were having the time of their lives with the Finizen pod as Roy held onto the fin of one Finizen (laughing heartily as it swam through the waves) and the young girl snorkeling as the pod mingled with them happily. With Dot and Lazuli (after the young recluse was changed into a swimsuit), Plume and Breeze cheekily nudged them into the water to swim with them (as Featherhides are known to be perfectly adequate swimmers in their own right), their Pokémon including both Quaxly and Tinkatink getting in on the fun as they happily swam around or splashed each other (save for Galaxagus and Panthera as they watched over them from their group's beach site and Delight made whipped sweets as she stayed with the pair) much to Dot's chagrin.
But, like Quaxly and Tinkatink, Plume didn't care; all the male Featherhide wanted was to see Dot having fun with everyone and not coop herself up in her room all day over even the most trivial things.
But, as Liko swam with the Finizen pod along with the others, she noticed that one particular Finizen had a pink heart atop its white chest and underbelly. However, what she saw was not really a Finizen but rather its evolved form, the Dolphin/Hero Pokemon: Palafin.
She didn't know what to think as she breached the surface and pondered, "Hey, one of them looks different from the others with that marking..."
Sensing her rider's confusion, Serrate purred and gently swam over to her (since her species was proven to float on any watery surface despite their metallic bodies), wondering what she was thinking.
"SOMEBODY, HELP ME!"
A panicked scream suddenly caught the pair's attention as they turned back and noticed a man dangling from one of the roofs of the beach huts while he was maintaining the roof he was on, his ladder broken and with no way of dropping down or pulling himself up without getting hurt. The wild Palafin also noticed the disaster waiting to happen and narrowed its eyes with a determined glare, immediately diving back into the water as if it knew what it had to do.
"Somebody, please!" the man wailed as he tried to hold onto the roof while everyone else watched helplessly, the heroes looking on worriedly as they entered the fray.
"Oh, no!"
"He's in trouble!"
"Somebody do something!"
"Call the fire brigade or an ambulance!"
"They won't get here in time!"
"He'll fall!" Liko, Mallow, Hiccup, Fishlegs, Kiawe, and Lana cried.
"Not good!"
"Oh, dear...!" Sprigatito and Fuecoco whimpered.
"Well, then...what can we do?" Roy fretted just as a trio of teenage photographers came into the scene.
"Whenever someone yelps for help...!" began one of the boys while three Patrat looked around for help until one of them saw something approaching from the ocean at blinding speed.
"Over there!" the third Patrat called, pointing to the sea.
"He's here!" the second photographer grinned as he and his friends got their cameras ready, making everyone turn to what looked like a whiplash of water approaching the man in danger of falling.
"Hey! What's that over there?!" Roy spluttered in surprise.
"Is that a yacht?"
"No, a boat!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut deducted.
"Wrong, it's actually...!" the three photographers grinned broadly as the man lost his grip and fell off the roof only for Palafin to emerge from the sea in its Hero Form and catch him just in time, prompting them to photograph it in their excitement. "Palafin, the Hero of the Seas!"
Whenever it is in its Hero Form, Palafin gains a much bulkier and human-like physique enabling it to stand on its tail fin's longer and slender flukes. The anthropomorphic dolphin of a Pokémon has a primarily indigo body despite its sides, lower jaw, and the bottom of its tail flukes being in a pale shade of light blue and it now sported a white stripe that added to its white tip.
The pink heart mark on its chest expanded and resembled a shield somewhat that occupied much of its chest and abdomen, deepening in color from a light shade of pink to a darker shade and resembling a cetacean's tail flukes (primarily those of an orca or bottlenose dolphin). As a result of its transformation, its eyes, flipper tips, and shoulders were covered in a set of bubble lenses, bubble gloves, and a bubbly cape and it gained three water rings around its peduncle.
"Palafin...?"
"Hero of the Seas?" echoed an astonished Goh (who also snapped a few shots of it with his Rotom Phone) and Lillie.
"So cool!"
"Awesome...!" breathed Lana and Roy, the Water Type Graduate's eyes twinkling at Palafin.
"Palafin is the Hero of the Seas who always comes in the nick of time to aid those in trouble around these parts! His heroics know no bounds!" Mr. Swimsuit Man grinned while Picker-Upper rested on his head, spooking the heroes by their sudden appearance yet again.
With the man safely out of harm's way, the (male) Hero Pokémon let out a satisfied call before he returned to the ocean until someone else needed his help while the man happily waved at him (with everyone else staring in awe, taking photos of him, or cheering in gratitude for his heroics), "Thank you so much, Master Palafin!"
Moments later, everything returned to normal as everybody went back to doing their own things with Sprigatito now mingling and playing with a wild Buizel and Fuecoco deciding to get a sun tan on a Wailmer floatie on the sand as he wore his sunglasses and helped himself to a glass of iced Shuckle Berry Juice.
"No way! You're saying this little guy is Palafin himself?" Liko gasped in surprise as Mr. Swimsuit Man and Picker-Upper introduced her, Roy, and the Pokémon and Paldea School Gangs to the evolved Dolphin/Hero Pokémon (now in his Naïve/Zero Form).
"That's right," the wild Palafin grinned as he did a small full-body twirl.
"He looks so small."
"I thought he'd look much bigger for a dolphin if I could be brutally honest," Lana and Primarina noted in surprise.
"Bro should look more like giants including the Orcrowns with the royal family dudes and dudettes," agreed Sandy as he rested atop Lana's head and tilted his head curiously at Palafin.
"Nope, you're not dreaming, my little friends. Our little guy here is pretty unique despite his size; this is what he looks like in his Naive/Zero Forme and what you saw before was Palafin in his Mighty or Hero Forme," Mr. Swimsuit Man grinned again. "Whenever there's somebody in trouble and he hears their calls, he transforms from his Zero Forme to his Hero Forme and comes to the rescue in the blink of an eye."
"He transforms when helping people?!" Roy gushed as his eyes twinkled.
"In theory, of course."
"In theory...?" Astrid blinked in surprise.
"Truth be told, nobody's ever managed to see how Palafin was able to transform into his Hero Forme."
"...That's too bad," Fishlegs began, not knowing what to think as they watched Palafin enjoy a contented swim.
"Um, excuse me but who are those three there?" Lillie asked, noticing the photographers from before.
"We've devoted our youth, time, and energy to snapping photos and writing articles about Palafin, the Hero of the Seas! We are the Snap Kids!" the three photographers introduced themselves proudly.
"Snap Kids/Snap Kids?" echoed a confused Lillie and Snowy.
"Oh, don't mind them, Lillie, Snowy. They're interested in uncovering the mystery of Palafin's transformation sequence; as far as I can tell, they didn't have any luck," Sarah remarked, annoyed.
"You've...met them before?" Lazuli questioned carefully.
"...You could say that; the first time Race, Asha, and I came here during our treasure hunt while we planned to see and challenge Iono to a gym battle as part of Paldea's Gym Challenge, they annoyed us to our wit's end by photographing Cobalion, Race, and my Legendary and Mythical Pokémon. Sho and Zorua got them to stop irking us by chucking their cameras into the forest as we left, and after that, they found out about Palafin and his transformation and turned their attention to him instead."
"Let me show you all of the photos we've taken of Palafin before and after the heroics he performed whenever there was trouble afoot!" said one of the Snap Kids to Liko and Roy as he pulled out his Rotom Phone in Tablet Mode and showed the pair photos of Palafin in his Hero Forme with the tourists, townsfolk, and Pokémon after they were saved from trouble time and time again.
"Whoa, that's so awesome!" Roy gushed in amazement.
"What do you know...? He's not such a bad guy," Snotlout added, sounding impressed as he, his friends, and their dragons looked at the photos.
"Look at him, he's huge!" Zenna gawked.
"He looked like he was pumping iron in that form 24/7!"
"Yeah, he looks super buff while saving everyone in his sight," Stryka and Stormfly noted, chuckling as they blushed.
"And, thanks to our loyal friends and partners, the Scout Pokémon, Patrat, helping us keep our eyes and ears open for Palafin, we've been able to take all those photos and write about him!" the Snap Kid continued as they saw the three Patrat looking out for Palafin should he appear whenever there was danger afoot.
"Still, isn't it kinda crazy how a cute little guy like him could transform into such an incredible hero?" Liko asked with a smile as she looked at Palafin.
"Hey, hey! Did you guys get any good photos of Palafin's transformation sequence?" Roy questioned the Snap Kids, wanting to see who Palafin transformed.
As the group talked with the Snap Kids, Palafin came over and used his ultrasonic soundwaves to listen in on what they were saying as two of the Snap Kids replied, "Actually, the truth is we haven't been able to snap it even if we had the chance."
"But, still... Wouldn't it be great for us to get a shot of Paladin's transformation sequence and let everyone know about it?"
That didn't sit well with the evolved Dolphin/Hero Pokémon as he glared at the Snap Kids and splashed the one that spoke up with his tail fluke, obviously not wanting anybody to know about it. Everyone was surprised but Sarah sighed knowingly as she walked over to the irked Water Type and gently rubbed him, knowing what he was thinking.
"Look, guys, as much as we all want to know how he goes from zero to hero, let's not forget that it's up to Paladin alone to decide whether or not he wants everyone to see him transform. He's the elephant in the room here so if he doesn't want anybody to know about it, I'd say 'Drop it while you still can and leave him alone.'," the little princess rebutted, getting a happy and appreciative nuzzle from the Dolphin Pokémon.
Even Ash and the Pokémon School Gang didn't take the idea too kindly as Kiawe and Sophocles replied in agreement (while Ash, Lana, Mallow, and Lillie glared knowingly at the Snap Kids), "First off: if you were in Palafin's flippers and you were forced to transform and reveal yourself to the public in the face of danger involving bad humans and Pokémon, how would your enemies take advantage of that handicap after stopping them the first time?"
"How would you deal with everyone knowing your identities and the ramifications of the reveal? The Power Rangers may have gotten a get-out-of-jail-free card years ago but that was when Astronema had everybody on her thumb at the time after she briefly became the Queen of Evil. How would this be any different? If Palafin doesn't want everyone to know how his transformation works, leave it as is, okay?"
"Wow...looks like Palafin is in the same boat as Sarah and her friends regarding their identities as the Power Rangers. He knows exactly how they felt if he wanted to keep his transformation a secret," Liko thought in surprise, getting Palafin's attention as he used his sonic waves to read her emotions and hear her thoughts. "Seeing something that doesn't want to be seen wouldn't feel right if he's that sensitive about it; it's just like with Sarah and Race when they were forced to reveal their identities to save Roy and I from Amethio. I guess...some things are better left unsaid."
That was all Palafin needed to hear and he smiled at Liko as his eyes twinkled, appreciating her decision over how his transformation from his Zero Forme to his Hero Forme worked.
Meanwhile, Fuecoco slept peacefully atop his Wailmer floatie after finishing his tan and juice while Sprigatito returned to Ludlow to play with him after saying goodbye to Buizel. However, as the happy-go-lucky Fire Croc Pokémon continued to be in his blissful slumber, he didn't notice until too late that the waves suddenly caught onto his floatie without warning and drifted him out to sea. Feeling as though something was wrong, he woke up until he found himself drifting away from his friends and family, a horrifying feeling slowly entering his stomach as he realized what had happened.
"Whoa! Palafin, you're just the greatest!" Roy continued to gush as he looked over the photos of the Hero Pokemon the Snap Kids took.
The Snap Kids nodded proudly over their work until everybody heard a frantic, "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!"
They turned to the cry's owner, and there, out at sea, was Fuecoco wailing and screaming for help as he tap-danced atop his floatie, not knowing what to do in his current predicament.
"Fuecoco!"
"Oh, no!"
"How'd he get over there?!"
"The waves must've pulled him out!"
"And, he can't swim!" gasped Roy, Sarah, Toothless, Meatlug, and Serrate in alarm.
Unfortunately for the heroes, Fuecoco was panicking so much that he accidentally punctured his floatie and it started to deflate at a fast rate, making him scream louder in his panic as he knew he was in big trouble.
"Fuecoco!" screamed Roy as he rushed towards his partner.
"Roy, wait!" Liko cried as Char prepared to step in after seeing his rider's partner in trouble only to see Palafin diving into the water, the Monstrous Nightmare looking on with surprise and intrigue as he turned his attention to the Dolphin Pokémon (dunking his head into the water to see him and getting the shock of his life as his eyes widened at what he was seeing).
"Fuecoco!"
Roy swam after Fuecoco as fast as he could but his partner was too far away for him to save as his floatie continued to sink with the little Fire Type sinking deeper and deeper until it gave way and he was flailing with all his might to stay afloat.
Suddenly, help did arrive in the form of a familiar Hero Pokémon as Palafin emerged from the water and scooped him up just in time.
"Hold on, little guy! Ring Preserver Floatie, go!" the Hero of the Seas shouted to Fuecoco, shooting his Water Rings from his peduncle and making a makeshift floatie out of them to safely rest the Paldea Fire Starter atop them.
"Look, Palafin!"
"In his Hero Forme!"
"He's back!"
"Cool!"
"How did he do that?!" Kieran, Lacey, Dart, Pouncer, and Ruffrunner gasped.
"That's one of his unique abilities; Palafin can stretch and contort his water rings behind his peduncle at will, allowing them to be used by his rescuees as life preservers!" Mr. Swimsuit Man announced proudly as Palafin safely placed the relieved and thankful Fuecoco on his water rings and ferried him to Roy.
"ROOOOOOOOOY!"
"Fuecoco! I'm so sorry for not keeping a closer eye on you, buddy!" the young adventurer and Fire Croc Pokémon sobbed, not wanting to go through what they'd experienced again.
"We're so glad you're okay!" Liko smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Palafin!"
"THANK YOU!" the pair cheered to Palafin when he left just as Char looked on with a respectful and admiring smile, deciding not to tell his rider and Fuecoco about his transformation and understanding why he was so sensitive about it.
And, Palafin's good-natured heroics didn't stop there; Mr. Swimsuit Man then proceeded to tell the heroes about Palafin's deeds that demonstrate his abilities and incredible prowess as the Water Pokémon he is including flying through the air using water streams (while saving a part of a woman's laundry when it was blown away), using the bubble lenses over his eyes to see things from tens of kilometers away (finding a boy's missing bike key), swimming at fifty knots and using his super strength to lift heavy objects (at approximately 25.7 miles per second and while saving a cruise ship from crashing into a cluster of nearby rocks), and his lightning-fast Jet Punch attack, water-propelled super jumps, and powerful kicks (while saving a school of Luvdisc from a greedy fisherman wanting to make money out of their scales).
"Wherever there's trouble and a soul in need of assistance out in our world's open waters, rest assured that our Palafin will always be there to help a friend in need!" Mr. Swimsuit Man concluded as Palafin went on his way after achieving peace for everyone who called out to him for help, leaving the heroes with a newfound and growing respect for the Hero Pokémon.
Even Sprigatito couldn't help but be impressed after hearing everything while she had her catnap after playing with Ludlow.
Soon, everybody decided to do their own things again and relax from Fuecoco's near-miss with the ocean after drifting to sea. With the little princess, after she told the rest of her family and the Circle of Twelve everything about Palafin and what he had been doing for the people in the area, they couldn't help but be impressed by the heroic Dolphin/Hero Pokémon.
"So, a little Water Type dolphin named Palafin was out and about being a superhero for the people on this beach whenever they're in trouble, huh?" Pig (in her human form) remarked, amazed.
"Heh, what do you know? We got ourselves Paldea's version of this Superman character we've been hearing about in human media," sniggered Ox (in his human form).
"I never thought such a little Pokémon after evolving would change so drastically from a nobody to a somebody..."
"And, all that wacky heroism while nobody sees how he goes from zero to hero exactly!" Rabbit and Sydney (in their respective human forms) added in awe.
"Still, you and your friends knew he had a secret of his own the way he splashed one of those meddling kids, didn't you, honey?" Delilah noted to her daughter.
"We knew right then and there that he was touchy about that topic; just seeing him splash one of them and how defensive he is about his transformation made us realize he wanted to keep everyone in the dark about it as we did with our ranger alter-egos," Sarah replied.
"Well, good on you all for leaving that decision up to him, sweetie."
"We're proud of you all for that, Pumpkin. As we all know, it would be up to Palafin to decide whether or not he wants someone to see how he transforms from his Zero Forme to his Hero Forme," Doug and David nodded proudly.
"I'm surprised you didn't even try to catch the little guy given how powerful he is," Lazuli spoke up, getting everyone's attention only to stare in befuddlement at her as she had a towel draped over her body and swimsuit while she was sitting a few feet from them.
"What the...?" James began as he tried to stifle a snigger even though Lazuli ignored him.
"What are you doing?" Snake asked, not knowing what she was doing.
"Lazuli, why are you wearing that towel over you?" Dog added, raising an eyebrow at the swordswoman.
"What do you think I'm doing?! I feel violated with this...this, THING, on me!" she spat at the two Zodiacs while blushing.
"What's wrong with you, kid? The beach is a great place to have fun and let loose! Why not have a little fun with little to no clothing on ya?" Syndey remarked.
"Didn't know about it back then, don't care for it now!"
"Every woman wears a swimsuit of some kind on them when they go to the beach, maybe you'll look cute with a bikini on you like what they're wearing," Hu chuckled, pointing her towards two women at another spot on the beach as they were both wearing bikinis.
"AHH! NO, NO WAY! BLECH! Gross! I'm not wearing something like that shit those two are wearing! That's disgusting! I won't go through with it, Mr. Hu! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" squealed Lazuli in shock as she glared at Hu and covered herself completely while groaning in humiliation and everyone laughed at her.
Meanwhile, returning to the Snap Kids, they were steadily growing frustrated that they couldn't get a good shot of Palafin's transformation from his Zero Forme to his Hero Forme as they had hoped. They wanted to take a cluster of photos detailing the entire transformation sequence and show them to any curious onlookers or citizens who had no idea how it happened so they could make a quick buck out of them. The latter two were quite happy with their shots of Palafin saving Fuecoco; despite that, however, the leading Snap Kid was aggravated as he realized that moments before he rescued Roy's partner, Palafin was with them and the heroes in his Zero Forme and lost his chance to photograph the transformation.
Normally, if there was something that couldn't be photographedfor one reason or another, any other photographer would've just dropped that topic and moved on. That was exactly what the other two Snap Kids were thinking given how their hunt for a scrap of Palafin's transformation sequence had been fruitless as they remembered he only transforms and appears in his Hero Forme whenever trouble arises. But, the leader was persistent, and thus, he suddenly got a brainstorm upon remembering that.
The plan they had in mind was to stage a phony emergency atop a large cliff at one end of the beach with one of them crying out to the Hero Pokémon for help and the other two hiding in the bushes so they could get a shot of him in his transformation sequence. That way, after patiently waiting for him to appear, they would snap a photo of him going from his Zero Forme to his Hero Forme in the nick of time and they would become famous and make money out of "solving the mystery" behind Palafin's "Zero to Hero" transformation.
Back to the heroes; with Dot on her end, she was currently looking over internet comments addressed to her social media alter-ego involving the seaside and Water Type Pokémon living in it while Quaxly and Plume watched over Tinkatink (who was napping on a pillow they brought with them for her while she cuddled with her hammer).
She couldn't understand what her viewers enjoyed about the seaside the more she looked through the comments her viewers were sending her. However, when one of her viewers touched upon the subject of a 'legendary hero protecting the seas of the world' but not Palafin (much to her surprise since even she gushed over him and his Hero Forme), she became intrigued and wondered what or who the viewer was talking about.
Returning to the Snap Kids, they were still waiting for Palafin to appear so they could be "saved" and get a snapshot of him transforming from his Zero Forme to his Hero Forme (with one of them having second thoughts about what they were doing). Unfortunately, their plan wasn't thought out too well for the Snap Kid calling out for Palafin found himself in *REAL* trouble as he saw that he was surrounded by five Klawf who thought he was invading their territory.
Screaming with fright and after accidentally snapping a photo (as the flash from his camera blinded them), he tried to run for the forest until he stumbled into a coconut tree, knocking some coconuts onto the Klawf leader and making them all mad at him.
"SOMEBODY! HELP MEEEEEE! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" he wailed, unable to escape and finding himself at the mercy of the Klawf pack.
Of course, the other two Snap Kids thought he was playing the act well this time and upon seeing Palafin down below, they readied their cameras unaware of the true danger that befell their friend. The Dolphin/Hero Pokémon did hear the third Snap Kid's cries but remembering his and his friends' growing urge to photograph him while he was transforming between his Zero and Hero Formes, he refused to do anything for them, thinking they were setting him up.
However, the heroes heard the third Snap Kid's cries and rushed to find out what was happening before them, seeing him at the mercy of the angry Klawf.
"What's going on up there?!" gasped Ash.
"Something's wrong, it looks like someone's being attacked by those Klawf up there!" Asha noted.
"Oh, boy, this I gotta see! If those really are Klawf, we gotta help him!" Rotom-Dex fretted worriedly as he scanned the giant crab-like Pokémon. "Klawf, the Ambush Pokémon. A Water Type; this Pokémon lives on sheer cliffs, hanging upside down while waiting for prey. It sidesteps its opponents' attacks and then lunges for their weak spots with its claws but it can't remain in its upside-down position for long as blood would rush up to its head."
"Ah, oh no! Guys, who's that with those Klawf?" Dot gasped in alarm, seeing the third Snap Kid which horrified the heroes.
"It's one of the Snap Kids!"
"What is he doing up there?!"
"And, why are those Klawf attacking him?" spluttered Sophocles, Lillie, and Mallow.
"I don't know but he looks like he's in trouble."
"Then, we better bail the kid out even though he and his posse are in a lot of trouble for who-knows-what," Lazuli decided as she threw away her towel and grabbed her sword before rushing to the Snap Kid's aid with her Pokemon, Breeze, and Stardust (in her Live Form) following her.
"Wait up, Lazuli!" Lana cried, seeing her leave.
"This is bad! Come on, Fuecoco, let's roll!" Roy told his partner.
"You got it!" Fuecoco nodded as the pair left to follow the swordswoman.
"Hey, wait for us!" Ash shouted as he, the Pokémon and Paldea School Gangs, Dot, and Liko along with their Pokémon, Plume, Serrate, and Char went after them.
Sarah was just about to join them after Race and a few members of his group went after them when she noticed Palafin looking up at the cliff and noticed the other two Snap Kids below their trapped friend and their three Patrat, their cameras at the ready (which made her realize what they were trying to do).
Rosie, Crest, and Chili also realized what the Snap Kids were doing and what led to one of them being in actual trouble later on as they said to Sarah, "Mom...?"
"Those Snap Kids..."
"Are you thinking...what we're thinking?"
"Yeah... I can't believe them!" nodded their human mother, looking aghast.
By the time Lazuli arrived at the scene first and her Pokémon and Breeze joined her, they saw the Snap Kid crying out for help in a more frightened state, completely at the mercy of the Klawf preparing to maul him down for supposedly invading their territory.
"This isn't good... They'll soon make mince meat out of the kid if we don't do something to help him. Woobat, do you know any moves that could help get him out of this jam?" the swordswoman asked Woobat.
"One but I don't know how powerful it'll be to stop them... Here goes, Disarming Voice!" Woobat replied as she performed Fuecoco's attack to try and calm the Klawf down (surprising her human caretaker).
Unfortunately, Woobat's Disarming Voice didn't phase them as they noticed the Snap Kid's would-be rescuers and the leader and two of its accomplices immediately shot an attack from their claws in response. Their first blows converged and broke through Woobat's Disarming Voice and the second converged blast was about to hit her until Lazuli jumped in and shielded her with her body and sword.
A painful and agonizing scream coupled with a loud snap followed by Roy, Fuecoco, and the others screaming in horror (suggesting the heroes had arrived too late to assist Lazuli and her Pokémon) shook Sarah, Rosie, Chili, and Crest to their cores while the Circle of Twelve jolted in shocked horror upon recognizing the scream before looking at the cliff behind them from their spot with the rest of Sarah's family (prompting Hu and Mistral to see what the matter was while the others stayed behind to look after the others at their beach site).
Even Palafin lost his glare as his mouth dropped and his eyes widened with terror, realizing that the Snap Kid terrorized by the agitated Klawf was in real trouble and someone had taken a hard blow from them to try and save him in his place. He had just left someone (possibly a human or a Pokémon) to save someone he refused to help when the situation became dire and that someone supposedly paid the ultimate price for it; he knew it was all his fault for letting the Snap Kids and their need to photograph his transformation into his Hero Forme get to him and make him take it personally.
"Lazuli! Hang on!" Sarah screamed fearfully, realizing something had happened to her and knowing she and everybody else trying to defend the troubled Snap Kid needed Palafin despite the other two Snap Kids trying to take a shot of his transformation sequence which completely worried them. "There's no way Palafin can help with them and their cameras in the way..."
She gritted her teeth and tried to figure out how to shield the Dolphin/Hero Pokémon from the Snap Kids' view until she felt Rosie's eyes upon her, making her turn to her Floragato and seeing her nod at her with a determined look on her face.
Realizing she had a plan to help Palafin, Sarah nodded in agreement and the pair rushed forward before the little princess shouted, "Alright, Rosie! Let's get Palafin back in the game, blindsight the Snap Kids with Magical Leaf at full blast!"
"Yeah!" grinned Rosie as she fired her Magical Leaf attack and blocked the Snap Kids and their Patrat's vision, surprising them and giving Palafin the cover he needed to right the wrong he unintentionally made with them.
The evolved Dolphin Pokémon was surprised by what the little princess did until Rosie, Chili, and Crest smiled and nodded at him before Sarah told the heroic Water Type, "Now, Palafin! Here's your chance! Go!"
With no time to lose and thankful to Sarah for giving him a fighting chance to come to the aid of her friends and the cornered Snap Kid in trouble, Palafin nodded and began to transform into his Hero Forme, leaving her and her Paldea Starters in shocked awe (and making them the only ones he was willing to show his transformation sequence in full to in gratitude for their help).
With the other heroes, they and the cornered Snap Kid were in trouble as Liko, Roy, Fuecoco, Sprigatito, Dot, and Quaxly along with the third Snap Kid were cornered by the angry and territorial Klawf while they shielded the wounded and knocked-out Lazuli (her swimsuit torn, a gash was formed on her chest after she saved Woobat, and Timburr held her sword as it was broken in two from the Ambush Pokémon's assault on her) from their wrath with help from her Pokémon and Breeze.
"This is bad!"
"I guess nothing we did calmed them down!"
"Well, what can we do?" Dot, Liko, and Roy fretted, seeing how hopeless the situation was for everyone involved (with the others watching helplessly as two of the Klawf and Lazuli's current state held them back).
"SAY GOODBYE!" screeched the leading Klawf as it prepared to kill the group in front of it, causing Liko, Fuecoco, Liko, Sprigatito, Dot, and Quaxly to scream and brace for the impact.
But, it never came as everybody was soon shocked to find Palafin (in his Hero Form once more) arriving just in time to stop the leading Klawf (who was also baffled by his sudden appearance), thus saving them from certain doom.
"Palafin!"
"You made it!" Roy and Fuecoco cheered.
"You?!" spluttered the shocked leading Klawf as the Hero Pokémon shoved it back, preparing to fight them to protect his friends and admirers.
Everyone was ecstatic and relieved by his arrival and Mr. Swimsuit Man couldn't help but join in as he commented, "News flash: Palafin vs. the territorial Army of Five Klawf! The showdown of the century commences before us right here, right now!"
"Go get 'em, Palafin!"
"Go for it!"
"Win it, Mr. Palafin!"
"We're with ya!"
"Give it to 'em, Good Sir!" shouted Roy, Liko, Fuecoco, Sprigatito, and Quaxly encouragingly as everyone gathered on the heroes' end cheered the Hero Pokémon on.
Palafin made the first move with Jet Punch and he managed to hit on the lead Klawf but the Ambush Pokemon were persistent as one of them fought back with X-Scissor and scored a direct hit on his chest (his main weak spot after he left himself wide open).
The heroes, Mr. Swimsuit Man, and the third Snap Kid gasped in shock and horror at what had happened just as Sarah, Rosie, Crest, Chili, Hu, and Mistral arrived and saw what was happening.
"Palafin!" cried Sarah while Hu and Mistral gasped in horror at the sight of Lazuli and rushed over to the swordswoman.
"Lazuli! What has happened to you?!" the Dragon Zodiac cried, terrified at the sight of her and her fellow Zodiacs' charge out cold and badly wounded as the Klawf eyed them and prepared to attack them, too.
"Dot, Liko, Roy! What's wrong with her?!" asked Hu to the three young trainers frantically, horrified over Lazuli's current condition.
"Lazuli and her Pokémon reached the Snap Kid in trouble first and tried to save him but the Klawf ended up attacking them with Lazuli and her sword taking the brunt of an X-Scissor assault meant for Woobat!" Roy explained.
"And, she was just knocked out when we arrived to help! We couldn't do anything after the Klawf had us at their mercy!" Liko added, not knowing what to do.
"This is bad...! We can't just stand here and do nothing! Crest, Chili, Rosie, get ready!" Sarah gritted as she, Rosie, Chili, and Crest rushed to Palafin's side to help him with the little princess trying to prop him up as he panted heavily from being hit by his chest and her Paldea Starters got in front of them, glaring at the Klawf. "Palafin, get out of here! Leave this mess to us! You need to run for it!"
"No, my lady-NGH! I-I can't! I will-ugh-protect you all with my life and make sure your-ngh-wounded friend survives after she nearly got herself killed-ngh-protecting those in danger including-ugh-her own when the territorial-agh-Klawf before us wounded her! That is the only, ngh, the only way...I will be able... To, to repent, for the wrong that I've done!" Palafin objected amidst his painful grunts, knowing he had to do everything he could to save everyone including Lazuli (after seeing how badly hurt she was after the Klawf attacked her).
With the rest of the heroes' party, while everyone else could only wonder what was going on with Sarah and everyone else with her, Ludlow heard the Finizen pod squeaking in alarm as they sensed the danger their heroic friend was in from afar.
"A wise Staraptor hides its talons amid lasting peace but bares them when the time is right to defend its kin and capture prey. Well, now... It looks like it's time for me to undergo a Forme Change!" he announced sagely, standing on his feet and shedding his fisherman outfit to reveal a bulky hero-like muscleman frame underneath his sagely and grandfatherly exterior (complete with an outfit inspired by a Sharpedo with a Sharpedo-inspired t-shirt and white shorts and flip-flops coupled with red shades). "Migh... Migh... Migh... MIGHTY G!"
Needless to say, his transformation shocked the other Zodiacs and everyone else within his vicinity as they watched him bring out a Sharpedo from a Dive Ball and the pair rushed off to the rescue, leaving everyone speechless.
"Did that just happen...?" Sydney began while he blinked, making everybody else nod stiffly in response.
"When did the old geezer have time to become...that?!"
"That so-called 'transformation', it wasn't real, right? Please, tell me that wasn't real!"
"It's real!" Rooster, Dog, and Rabbit bantered, completely floored by what they and the others saw from the old man.
Back on the cliff, everyone on the heroes' side could only watch helplessly as the five angry Klawf had Palafin cornered, the Hero Pokémon still being propped up by Sarah and protected by Chili, Rosie, and Crest but refusing to abandon his rescuees despite being wounded from the X-Scissor to his chest. The situation was looking grim for everyone involved in this mess as the quintet facing the territorial Ambush Pokémon braced themselves for the worst until the others suddenly noticed a fast-approaching stream of water coming towards them.
"Hey, what's that?" Lana called.
"Is that a yacht?"
"Or maybe, a boat?" Mallow and Lillie added.
"No, wait! It looks like...! It is!" Mr. Swimsuit Man corrected in shocked amazement as he saw Ludlow (in his Mighty G Forme) and his Sharpedo arriving in the nick of time to save everyone from disaster. "The legendary hero protecting the seas of the world: Mighty G!"
The others were speechless as Roy and Fuecoco could only reply, "Mighty G...!"
"So cool!"
"Sharpedo! Aqua Jet, let's go!" Ludlow called, having his second partner use Aqua Jet to force the Klawf to back off which startled them as they scooted back.
"Wow! Did you guys see that?!"
"That's crazy!" Ash and Pikachu balked.
"I don't believe it! They got the Klawf to back off of Palafin, Sarah, Rosie, Crest, and Chili with just an Aqua Jet after darting between them!" Rotom-Dex squealed as he recorded Ludlow and Sharpedo's speedy arrival.
"Good boy, Sharpedo," Ludlow thanked his Brutal Pokémon before turning to Palafin and joining him. "Well, Palafin, old friend, long time no see."
"Mighty G," Palafin smiled with a nod, recognizing who Mighty G was and thankful that he arrived.
The others were left speechless once again and Roy couldn't help but exclaim in total disbelief, "Huh?! Hey, wait, you two know each other?!"
And, despite her own shock and surprise, after she recognized the mana being exuded from Mighty G to that of Ludlow, she recognized him as the same sagely fisherman the heroes all knew and loved (and, admittedly, at a much quicker rate compared to the others). She wanted to say something but she knew it wasn't her place to ask the pair how they knew each other nor why Ludlow had a superhero-like persona of his own hidden underneath his sagely exterior so she said nothing.
"Palafin, let's do this on this, and that like that, and that's that. But, we'll need some musical assistance from two of our young friends to further soothe the Klawf's hurt feelings," Ludlow directed to Palafin with a few gestures and ended with a heart before turning to Lana and Sarah, "Now, then, ladies, I wonder if you two have any Pokémon on you that can help sing something like a lullaby to our agitated friends?"
"All he said was 'that'... What's 'that', exactly?" Liko noted awkwardly until she saw Palafin nodding in agreement, supposedly knowing what his old friend had in mind. "He understood?!"
"Lullaby?" Sarah and Lana echoed before they looked at each other and realized what Ludlow was saying. "Oh, yeah!"
Quickly, they summoned Primarina and Aqua as the two Soloist Pokémon joined the superhero-like fisherman and Palafin and faced the angry Klawf, ready to do what they could to calm them down and end the crazy matter peacefully.
"Stand back, you three, Mighty G's got an idea!" Sarah called to her Paldea Starters, having Rosie, Crest, and Chili rejoin her and allowing Primarina, Aqua, Ludlow, and Palafin to take center stage and resolve the growing conflict before them.
"Everyone, let's hear you cheer for Palafin! Let's go!" Ludlow began.
"Cheer for Mr. Palafin?"
"But... Why would we do that?" puzzled Roggenrola and Woobat.
"I don't know but anything's worth a try if it helps Mom stay alive! Go get 'em, Mr. Palafin, Sir!" Timburr replied before he led the cheering session for Palafin with Roggenrola, Woobat, Delight, Galaxagus, Breeze, Panthrea, Gengar, and Mismagius joining in.
Roy and Fuecoco knew they had to help Palafin in any way and quickly joined in the cheers, "Right! You can do it, Palafin!"
"Hang in there, Sir!"
"You can do it, don't give up!"
"Please save us from those Klawf, Palafin!"
"Get 'em!"
"We're all here for you, Palafin!"
"Don't give up!"
"Keep fighting!"
"We got your back!"
"Come on, Palafin!"
"Please, fight on!"
"You can do it, hurry!" the others joined in, adding to the cheers Lazuli's Pokemon and Breeze spearheaded.
"Please, Palafin, do something!"
"Save our Lazuli!" Mistral and Hu cried, their own cheers adding to the strength Palafin was gaining from everyone's support as his strength returned and he no longer felt weak.
This left the Klawf bamboozled as they didn't know how to respond to such a tactic until Sarah and Lana called out to Primarina and Aqua, "Now, Primarina/Aqua, Sing!"
"As you can see, Palafin gets his strength from the heartfelt cheers of the people and Pokémon around him. And, together, with that strength coupled with the lullaby from our young ladies' Primarina, we shall perform our...!" Ludlow quipped as Aqua and Primarina started to sing their species' song together for the first time in a long while and soothe the Klawf, giving him and Palafin the time needed to perform their group move on the Klawf.
"Wait a minute, that move! It's, it's-! It is...! Palafin and Mighty G's legendary Deadly Hero Hug!" Mr. Swimsuit Man announced as Ludlow and Palafin performed a special hug that specializes in love and peace for everyone which did the trick as the Klawf relaxed to the point when they were now smiling.
"Love and Peace, Mighty G!"
"What a sight to behold! The hugs from Palafin and Mighty G are soothing even the Klawf's fiercest rage!"
"Now, our little Klawf friends, love and double peace!" Ludlow said, satisfied by his and Palafin's work to soothe the Klawf with Aqua, Primarina, Lana, and Sarah's help.
"Love and double peace!" grinned the happy Klawf as they and everyone else (save for Lazuli and Sarah as the little princess moved the swordswoman off to the side with Hu and Mistral to look at her gash) then took a group picture together.
"Mighty G is so cool!" Roy gushed excitedly, amazed by what Ludlow did in his own alter-ego (even if he had no idea he and Mighty G are one and the same).
"Do you know what makesheroes so cool in their own rights?" Ludlow asked Liko, getting her attention before he finished, "It's the moment when you cry out for help, their big hearts always hear-o!"
Liko just stared at him awkwardly while Sprigatito only gave him an unimpressed and deadpanned stare for the pun. And, before long, Palafin, Sharpedo, and Mighty G jumped into the ocean and returned to the sea together, leaving everyone else to say goodbye and thank them for their help.
With the incident involving the Klawf out of the way, everybody gathered at the bottom of the cliff where the regrouped Snap Kids were given a furious tongue-lashing by Sarah and her family when they told the group the full details of their ploy.
"Let me get this straight, you decided to stage a fake emergency just so you can get a clear shot or two of Palafin's transformation from his Zero Forme to his Hero Forme for your own personal gain?" Sarah snapped angrily.
"We're sorry, Your Majesty/We're sorry, Your Majesty," the Snap Kids and their Patrat apologized.
"And, when your friend found himself surrounded by a group of territorial Klawf that thought he invaded their home, YOU TWO thought he was being a good actor?!" Delilah added towards the other two Snap Kids, appalled.
"Boys! That was the craziest, stupidest thing you've ever done!"
"You oughta be ashamed of yourselves for what you've done!"
"How could you do this to Palafin, to us, to everyone whom he saved before?!" Lopunny, Prinplup, and Quilava raged.
"You little weasels would do anything to snap a good shot of anything that catches your eye and forsake everyone else's well-being to get what you want, would you?" Nyasi concurred as he crossed his arms and glared at the Snap Kids darkly.
"We didn't mean any harm, I assure you. I just really wanted a photo of Palafin's transformation sequence after so many failed attempts..." whimpered the Snap Kids' leader in reply.
"You guys can't do that! Even if you wanted to, what if there was somebody in real trouble and there are people and Pokemon who actuallyneeded to be rescued somewhere?!" Roy snapped at them, making the Snap Kids realize the full extent of their tomfoolery and forsaking Palafin's heroism.
"We're so sorry!" the Snap Kids apologized profusely, not wanting to make the same mistake again.
"We understand now that our plan earlier was stupid and not as clever as we hoped, everybody! We promise you, we'll never, ever, go out of our way to see Palafin's transformation sequence again!"
"We'll believe that when we see it, young men. And, see that you do; sometimes, some things are best left unsaid, unheard of, and unseen," Doug finished firmly as he and his family held them up to that promise.
Later, the heroes were returning to their beach site (with Hu and Mistral tending to Lazuli and her broken sword) as Sarah, Rosie, Crest, and Chili thought back to Palafin's transformation before their very eyes after shielding him from the Snap Kids.
"Man, what a day..." sighed Chili.
"Tell me about it, let's hope the Snap Kids don't show their snapshot mugs up again. But, don't you guys think Palafin's transformation from his Zero Forme to his Hero Forme was the coolest thing to happen?" Crest concurred.
"Yeah, I never knew how a Palafin would go from zero to hero after evolving until now!" Rosie grinned before turning to Sarah. "What do you think, Mom? Should we tell everybody about it?"
"It is pretty cool, guys... But, I still stand by what I said earlier; it's up to Palafin to decide if he wants someone to see how he transforms. We're the only exception after we stopped the Snap Kids from trying to photograph him at that moment. Would the others and I want a repeat of what happened to the Space Rangers years ago in Angel Grove but under more dire circumstances for Palafin because of human error?" Sarah replied, still set in her ranger identity mindset.
"Oh, yeah..."
"Uh, right... Yeah, forget it."
"Let's not tell anybody about it, then," her Paldea Starters gulped in realization.
Sarah smiled as she gently patted their heads before they heard a splash in the ocean to their right. They turned, and to their surprise, there was Palafin jumping out and diving back in but not without sending them a happy wink and a grateful smile towards them for their help from earlier.
The quartet smiled back as Sarah then told Rosie, Chili, and Crest, "That's how it should be for some heroes; some of them would want the world to know a thing or two about them but others would prefer to have some things about them unknown to the people, unknown to the world, all while being shadows that strike down evil and all wrongdoing. And, if that's what those heroes want, then can we really afford to break such a sacred tradition for trivial and petty reasons?"
Her Paldea Starters smiled warmly and they shook their heads at her, telling their human mother, "Nah."
Sarah just smiled as they returned to the group's beach site only to find Ludlow laying on his side with the others watching him (since he could only be in his Mighty G Forme for three minutes at a time given his current age).
"...Ludlow, are you feeling alright?" the little princess asked awkwardly.
"Oh, I'm alright, Sarah. Ooh, just, threw my back out," the sagely fisherman reassured painfully before muttering quietly, "I guess these days, due to my age, three minutes is the limit for my Mighty Change."
"Guess what! Just a couple of minutes ago, Mighty G and Palafin saved us from a couple of angry territorial Klawf!"
"Is that so?" replied Ludlow while Sarah rolled her eyes at him with an amused smile.
"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" Liko questioned Roy, her mind also on Palafin and Mighty G.
"I know we will, someday. Palafin's always watching out for us and so was Mighty G. Whenever we might be or if we're ever in trouble, the Hero of the Seas is bound to show up and rescue us, right, Ludlow?"
"Now, now, Roy, dearie, let's get too excited about our heroes of the day and have Ludlow throw his back more than he should," Wigglytuff soothed as she toddled over to Ludlow to check on his current condition. "Here, now, Mr. Ludlow, I'll see if we can get your back in working order again. Hold still, now."
"Ah, thank you, Wigglytuff," Ludlow thanked before he heaved a sigh of relief and muttered again, "Phew, my secret is safe."
As dusk fell upon the beach, after Friede, Cap, and Murdock returned with the materials needed for their evening barbecue, the young adventurer proceeded to show Friede and Cap the photos of Palafin and the group photo they got from the Snap Kids.
"The Snap Kids gave us these photos of Palafin when he was performing his rescues including the group shot with the Klawf and Mighty G! Cool, huh?" he grinned at the unconventional professor.
"Ha-ha! Those look nice!" Friede chuckled until Ludlow noticed one of the Palafin photos showing a strange tower in the background.
"Hmm, hang on a moment, what's that there?" he puzzled, zooming in on the tower.
"Believe it or not, some strangers came over and put that tower there a few days ago. They're a really suspicious bunch if you ask me," informed Mr. Swimsuit Man.
"A suspicious bunch, huh?"
"Could they be...?" Friede and Cap mused darkly as they and Sarah looked at each other and nodded, all three having a good idea as to who would erect such a structure.
To Be Continued…