Liko - Our journey with the Rising Volt Tacklers and the Power Rangers continues! Recently, my pendant turned into a mysterious Pokemon called a Terapagos, the same Pokemon in the care of Princess Sarah Tomoe and her husband, Race Konami. However, while their three Terapagos were happy living with them, all my Terapagos wanted was to find a legendary paradise called Laqua. But, to do that, we needed to find the last member and leader of Lucius' Six Heroes, his first partner: a Terastal Shiny Rayquaza. In doing so, we would help Terapagos regain the powers he once had. To solve the mysteries surrounding him and find Rayquaza, we've returned to the Paldea Region! We stopped for supplies at a small town where we learned the Explorers were nearby, planning to capture Rayquaza. At this point, I don't know what's going to happen next!
With Friede, Cap, and Charizard, the trio arrived at the deserted island Sarah had pointed them to and found the tower photographed along with Palafin by the Snap Kids. Seeing it as suspicious as he, Cap, and Sarah found out, he soon noticed Spinel's Beheeyem and Magneton patrolling the structure as they hovered around it, both keeping an eye out for any possible intruders or curious onlookers who also saw the place.
"That must be it," he said quietly as the trio edged closer and saw Spinel with Umbreon beside him as the brainiac Explorer was punching a code on a keyboard to enter the tower.
"What's he up to?" Cap pondered suspiciously as Friede took photos of him and his three Pokémon while they entered.
"Let's head back. Everyone, the Brave Olivine's briefing room, pronto," he called as he, Cap, and Charizard doubled back to tell them what was happening (passing the Levincia Lighthouse as they did so).
(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)
"So, it's true, then? The Explorers are all in Levincia to capture Lucius' Rayquaza?" Clavel asked Sarah with concern after he, his fellow staff, and the Paldea Gym Leaders came to Levincia and met the heroes.
"I'm afraid so. Reader also told me they developed a specially-designed resonator to recreate Terapagos' energy signal whenever he called out to him, and by using that, they're hoping to lure him in and have him let his guard down," the little princess replied gravely.
"What's more, on a deserted island near Levincia's Harbor, we saw the tower the swimmer we met two days ago mentioned and it looked very suspicious," Friede added as he and Cap filled everyone in on their report.
"It looked like the building in the picture the Snap Kids took!" Roy realized as he looked back at the Palafin photo the Snap Kids had given him.
"And, then, there's this," Friede continued as he showed everyone Spinel, his Umbreon, his Beheeyem, and his Magneton amongst the photos he took (which shocked Roy, Dot, and Liko as they immediately recognized the Explorer that attacked them and their group months ago on the freighter he was in).
"Ah!"
"That man!"
"We remember him!" the young trainers remarked, trying to contain their shock.
"If that's Spinel and all his Pokémon you saw, then that has to be the Explorers again. I have a feeling that might be a trap, Geek Man," Lazuli replied, gritting her teeth as she clenched her hands and tried to control her hatred for her former colleagues. "Since we're amongst the strongest in our group, he probably wanted us out of the way. It's probably a decoy trying to throw us off his, Coral, Sidian, and Chalce's trail."
"And, it couldn't be Amethio since he's set about capturing Rayquaza his own way as we noticed weeks ago after he tried to confront him through brute force," Astrid reminded while Hiccup nodded in agreement.
Lazuli gave an agreeing nod as Murdock then asked her, "But, why would they go the extra mile to try and bait you and Friede into moving away from the scene of the crime they're trying to pull?"
"This might be a stretch but wouldn't Lazuli also be skilled with technology from her time with the Explorers?" Liko theorized.
The swordswoman said nothing and nodded at her in confirmation, prompting Friede to realize what the young girl was implying as he said, "I see; that means Lazuli might know how to shut down or destroy something like that resonator the Explorers made to lure Rayquaza in and capture him more easily thanks to her twenty years of service for them. And, because we're powerful trainers in our own right apart from Sarah, we're considered more of a hindrance to their new foolproof plan."
"We can't let jerks like them get their hands on Rayquaza, not after coming so close to reuniting the Six Heroes with Marena!" Roy frowned determinedly.
"It wouldn't be fair to them!" Fuecoco agreed wholeheartedly.
"I agree. Along with Lazuli given she still knows the ins and outs of what the Explorers are pulling and how they operate, Cap can help her destroy any tech they have up their sleeves. I say we take the fight to them."
"We'll spark them up like there's no tomorrow," smirked Cap, eager for a little battle dance with the Explorers as his cheeks sparked.
"Alright, I'm gonna see if I can cook up a little program together to help them, then," Dot replied, ready to do her part.
"What kind?" Liko asked curiously.
"Something that can help Lazuli and Cap block out and shut down any system and backups they use. For me, this one's personal..."
"Got it, thanks, Dot," Friede nodded thankfully. "Problem is, we don't know when they'll make their move... If we're going to infiltrate, now's the time."
"It should be easier for us to pull off a little eavesdropping after I told Rayquaza to watch out for them, he should be ready for them just as we're going to," Sarah replied, surprising everyone.
"You warned him? How did you...?" the unconventional professor blinked.
"With a little sleepy-time agent I whipped up; I used an object called a Dreamvisitor to contact him in the dreamscape two weeks ago. There's something you should know, he saw us that day on Dragonstone..."
"No way!"
"Say what?!"
"He really saw us!?"
"Are you serious?!" Dot, Murdock, Roy, and Liko balked in shock on everyone's behalf.
"For real?!"
"That's impossible!"
"We didn't even see our leader as we were entering!"
"There's just no way he could've been watching us!"
"And, we didn't even know!" Moltres, Arboliva, Lapras, Entei, and Kleavor cried in shocked astonishment.
"...I, I didn't know," Marena stuttered, overwhelmed by what she had heard and feeling like she was about to faint before Entei, Nyasi, Candy, and Star held her as she nearly passed out.
"How did you know that?!" barked the Ancient Malevolent Pokémon incredulously at the little princess.
"He told me himself; he was hovering amongst the clouds as we pulled him and he was present during Marena and her family's performance while they sang her and Lucius' song. Even he was surprised after hearing you guys remember everything you all and Lucius did together years ago and how you've been isolated from each other for the last century as he was."
"...Yes, of course, he would, eventually..." sighed Lapras, feeling relieved for his team's leader/brother.
"...Sarah, you don't know how much this means to us...! Thank you... So, what did he say? Rayquaza, will he be returning to us?" Marena begged, eagerly wanting to know her husband's Sky High Pokémon's answer.
Sarah went silent as she frowned worriedly and replied, "...Well, that's where the problem is. He's...on the fence about that; he told me 'maybe' as we talked. It's not a definitive 'yes' or 'no' as I'd hoped but it's better than nothing. He said he would tell us after the Explorers are dealt with and we send them running again, though, so it might be sooner than we think."
"...Oh, I see..." the Sea Witch sighed in dismay.
"So, now that we know what the Explorers are trying to do with Lucius' old partner, who will be the ones to stick their necks out in sending them to the Garban District?" Sydney quipped.
Not surprisingly, Lazuli spoke first as she replied darkly, "Me, I'll deal with Spinel myself while you guys deal with Chalce, Coral, and Sidian."
"No, Lazuli!"
"You're still hurt from one of the Klawf attacking you!" Rabbit and Naomi protested in horror as the two golden spheres of light from the heroes' misadventure with Teppin reappeared before the swordswoman and the Circle of Twelve.
"You haven't fully recovered yet, Kiddo. We lost you to the Explorers once, we're not going to lose you again," Hu denied adamantly as the spheres blinked twice (supposedly in agreement with the Tiger Zodiac) and hovered close to her chest as if trying to cuddle her.
"Yes, I have to... This has been a long time coming and I can't avoid it anymore; you guys and the others now know what he and his cohorts are trying to pull and Friede, Cap, and Charizard's combined strength will be needed on the field. If we're going to stand a chance and save Rayquaza, we can't lose one of our strongest players apart from the princess nor let them get the upper hand on us. We wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for me; I dragged you all down here to this point of our journey because of my so-called service to the devils that ruined my life, killed off my parents, and took everything away from me because I have something they wanted for their endgame. My eavesdropping on our guest of the hour and her hubby for their Terapagos before my escape made it worse as you already know... It's time I made it right."
Petunia cooed and babbled, completely worried for her first friend as she fluttered to her chest, prompting the swordswoman to soothe her (as she gently held the whimpering baby dragon), "...Hey, I'm not worried, kiddo. Believe me; I'm not anxious to furnish a meal for those backstabbers. You've never failed to get a smile out of me, I'll remember your smile and your kindness, always... But, if I don't come back... Then, if anything... Live a life you can be proud of...for my sake."
Petunia gave another sad coo before she nuzzled her chest and the bandage overlapping her gash, not wanting to think about losing her first-ever friend as tears welled in her eyes.
In doing so, to everyone's surprise, her horns shone brightly in a lilac light as did Lazuli's gash as her tears dripped down onto the bandage. Miraculously, it began to heal after they came into contact with it from underneath the bandage until it magically evaporated and the wound the swordswoman got from one of the wild Klawf was gone. With no visible evidence of the gash on her chest now, you never would've known it had been there after she and her Pokémon fought the territorial Ambush Pokémon to keep the Snap Kid they cornered safe.
Lazuli was speechless but gave her a small yet appreciative smile as the baby dragon hugged her before the creature turned to her human mother and asked, "...Mama, me go...friend, help?"
Naturally, after recognizing that Petunia wanted to help Lazuli confront Spinel, Sarah was against it for she knew the baby dragon would be putting herself both in danger ANDSpinel's line of fire to protect her first real friend. But, she then recalled her and Sparky's bravery in helping the last of their kind, the Gen. 5 Mane Six, and the heroes end Opaline and her evil once and for all with the help of the Dragonstone. As much as she didn't want to, Sarah (after seeing how determined her dragon was when she didn't break her gaze) realized she didn't have much of a choice.
She sighed in defeat and reluctantly told her (while bringing out her secondary satchel and giving her the Dragonstone), "...Alright, you may go. However, be careful; I'll use Fidelius Beastiaon you to keep you hidden, and for added measure, I'm giving you the Dragonstone to help you control your magic now that you have experience using it. Use it well. But, above all else, if all hell breaks loose and your backs are against the wall, you and Lazuli...stay alive, for all our sakes..."
"If that part with Spinel's settled, how will we drop in on them at that fakeout and eavesdrop on those jerks without cluing them in?" Ox pondered, looking back at Friede's photo of the tower.
"Hmm, if we take the airship and the Dragon Craft, despite the latter's camouflage function, they're bound to notice us somehow."
"And, even flying on Sarah and Race's Flying Types, the dragons, the mythicals that can fly while they were hidden, and on Charizard," Orla and Mollie thought, trying to weigh what options the heroes have on their approach.
"Yep, there's no way they'd miss any of those if they arewell prepared for us," Friede nodded, deciding to go for the silent approach as he turned to his grandfather. "Ludlow, break out the boat. We'll land opposite the tower and drop Lazuli, her Pokémon, and Petunia off to deal with Spinel while we handle the rest."
"We're ready to do our part, too."
"Whatever happens, we got your back," Ash and Arven declared determinedly as their respective groups nodded in agreement with their sentiments.
"We'll stand by in case any of you need our assistance should things get dire," Clavell offered.
"Thank you, Clavell, we really appreciate it," Kukui thanked.
"Can I come?"
"Me, too!" Roy and Liko offered.
"No way, it's too dangerous. You kids better wa-!" Friede began until he noticed their and their partners determined glares and smiled as he then said, "Okay, come on."
"Wait! Sarah, guys, I-! I, uh... I want to help! I want to come along and fight, too!" Dot blurted out, wanting to be out in the field to contribute to everyone's efforts to stop the Explorers.
Murdock was horrified as he tried to beg his niece not to risk her own life on the mission, "What?! Dot, no! Wait, you can't! It's too dangerous! You could get hurt!"
Dot, however, was undeterred as she told her uncle, "Sarah and her friends did more than enough to fight for us, right? Well, so can I! Besides, I still owe them for everything they did for me..."
"Wow, Dot," Liko breathed, astonished by what she heard from the young recluse.
With Murdock, after hearing why she wanted to help her friends, the friendly cook couldn't help but cry again with an uncle's pride over her bravery and willingness to help them (doing his best to hide his returning tears of joy) before he approved of her choice with a proud and determined smile, "...Alright, my girl, go for it!"
Friede also couldn't help but smile proudly at Dot before he addressed everyone else staying behind until they were needed, "Everyone else, stand by onboard. We'll ring any of you if we need you at any point and we'll need you to take off quickly so make sure you're ready."
"Right," the others agreed.
"Just to be on the safe side, I'm fairly sure there will be more subordinates in place compared to last time to slow us down and the Explorers would've probably taken a page off of one of the playbooks used by the previous villains the Power Rangers faced involving grunts and giants. So, we better be ready on that end, too," Kukui cautioned, knowing the Explorers would be just as crafty to ensure their mission to capture Rayquaza goes off without a hitch.
Sarah nodded before she spoke to her family, "Well, that's where we come in again. Mom, Dad, Granny, Gramps, Aunt Nikki, Uncle James, Tsukumaro, you take the Leo Eight and the other Zords and use them as a blockage to keep Rayquaza away from any attacks from below and the Explorers' ground forces. I'll have Drogon, Zalkia, and Fang brought in as backup; with Drogon's full size, his firepower, and his Gift of Mystic along with Zalkia and Fang's reputations from the Jurassic Park franchise, I'm sure they'll be more than enough to give you a hand."
"Your family's Zords, Drogon, Fang, and Zalkia, too, Little Buddy? Won't that be a bit much if you're planning on giving them nightmares?" Arven asked, concerned.
"Just be glad Race and I are not sending Gigas, Terry, and our other dinos in their place, Arven."
"Heh, about time you gave your dinos a bit of fun, Sarah! I mean, seriously! They've been practically begging for this since joining us back at Dragonstone!" Snotlout laughed as the Chibi Dinos happily chirped at their human parents.
The little princess shrugged but then turned to Liko and Roy as she told them, "And, Liko, Roy, I don't mind if you come along knowing what they might do but just be careful as we go along. Stay close to Serrate and Char, be alert, and avoid fighting unless you really have to."
"Right," the two trainers nodded.
"Ooh! Poppy has an idea, Ms. Sarah! I wonder if you can have Ms. Diance's Rayquaza friend, Ms. Stormy, to fool them into thinking you got Mr. Lucius' partner, will do?" Poppy suggested, raising her hand.
However, despite seeing the logic in Poppy's idea, Sarah was worried, "That could work, Poppy... Although, I don't know exactly how we'll pull off the ruse... Lucius' Rayquaza has a permanently Terastallized shiny body on him and Stormy doesn't have that since she can't access a Tera Form without a Tera Orb and a strong bond of friendship with one of us apart from Diancie, and what's more-"
"Actually, Princess... If I may interject, the young girl has a definite point I must agree with her on most definitely," Diance's Rayquaza friend, Stormy, countered politely as she threw her full support behind Poppy's idea. "If nothing else, I'm quite curious to meet this strange Terastallized shiny male counterpart of myself."
Rika thought over Poppy's suggestion and she couldn't help but grin as she turned to Sarah, "Hmm, you know, Poppy, that's a great idea! Hey, Kid, you said the Explorers don't know about Diancie and her friends or their alliance with us, right? Well, I think Poppy's hit the nail on that!"
"Hey, she's right! Sarah, since you cast Fidelius Beastiaon them, your Legendaries, and your mythicals, they won't see them but neither would Rayquaza. Why not remove the spell on Stormy in this case?" Hiccup added.
"I get it; by showing only her amongst our Pokémon when Rayquaza appears, she can fake Chalce, Sidian, and Coral out into thinking you caught her while, in reality, she's still a wild Pokémon! And, even without the Terastallized body and the Shiny coloration, she's got her Mega Form! You can Mega Evolve her and your own Pokémon capable of that power turn their and Spinel's heads and bring their attention to them and away from Lucius' partner!" Zenna concurred, seeing the logic behind Poppy's idea.
"I hold no qualms with that idea myself, Princess," Diancie smiled, giving her approval.
"...Well, if it could work... I guess there's no harm in trying," Sarah admitted, giving in to Poppy's idea.
"And, Iono, please don't livestream this entire fiasco, okay? We don't want any paparazzi nor start a panic over Zalkia and Fang like what happened in Adventure City last year," Mallow pleaded to the Levincia Gym Leader.
"Oui-oui, you all can count on Moi, girlfriend! For this occasion, my silence is truly golden!" grinned Iono in reply with a wink, understanding the situation.
Soon, the heroes' plan was put into action; with Sarah, Friede, Ludlow, Liko, Roy, Petunia, Stardust, and the Pokémon joining them including Cap, they took the sagely fisherman's small motorboat to the other side of the island where the heroes in action to reach the phony tower on foot and drop off the swordswoman and her group upon reaching it. Upon arriving, dark clouds loomed in the area as though the heavens predicted a turbulent time for everyone involved.
"Try to stay as quiet as possible as you all bring me and my party to the fake tower, okay?" Lazuli warned Liko and Roy.
"Okay," they replied quietly as the heroes in action carefully made their way through the forest (which was seemingly devoid of human life).
"Doesn't look like anybody lives here, huh?" Roy pondered, looking around.
"Yeah," Liko agreed as the group took in the silence until they noticed some Bug Pokémon flying about.
Amongst them was a cluster of white-flowered Flabebe, Combee, and Fancy-Patterned Vivillon living peacefully away from humans and human society flying by which impressed Sprigatito and Fuecoco. Unfortunately, for Roy's partner, there was also a Vespiqueen (that looked eerily identical to the Vespiqueen that chased him, his partner, and Wattral months ago) that unintentionally jump-scared him and made him panic, forcing Roy to help him be quiet so they don't draw any attention to them (which was apparent when Vespiqueen and its fellow wild Pokémon became spooked upon seeing him).
"No, Fuecoco! Be quiet!" Roy hissed as the heroes watched the wild Pokémon rush into the forest in a panic, immediately hiding themselves in the brush.
"They're obviously not used to humans here," Liko realized.
"If anything, it's a sure-fire sign that Spinel and his cohorts planned to fake us out here. With how it's out of the way, this deserted island would make a pretty good spot for them to pull off something like that fake tower to draw some of us off the trail," Lazuli noted.
Friede nodded in agreement as he told everyone, "We've got to keep moving."
"To the phony tower!" Cap barked loudly, pointing north and being promptly hushed by the others before covering his mouth as he realized his mistake. "Ugh, sorry..."
The silence was amazing and tensions were running high for the heroes as they continued their quiet trek through the forest until they finally reached the phony tower. To Lazuli's surprise, as she and her group took the lead, she discovered that Magneton and Beeheyem weren't guarding the place and there were no subordinates or grunts around to try and stop them. But, the swordswoman wasn't taking any chances and carefully led everyone to the tower. Upon arriving, she checked the front door while looking around for any stragglers that could jump them at any time, realizing something was off as she examined the code board lock.
"What is it?" Liko asked her.
"It's unlocked; I knew it, this is Spinel's doing, he really is trying to bait both Professor Adventures and I or one of us into entering. Well, good thing I know his damn playbook inside and out," she replied, narrowing her eyes at the purposefully unlocked door before gripping the handle as she prepared to head in. "Now, when my group and I enter this thing, you scramble back to Levincia, and most importantly, keep your eyes and ears open for the Big Three. They might be at another vantage point that's good enough for them to call Rayquaza somehow."
The others nodded as Liko and Roy concurred, "Right."
Lazuli nodded back and turned to Gengar, Mismagius, and Breeze (who followed them via her camouflage ability to give her family a hand against Spinel should they need her help), telling her Featherhide and Ghost Types, "Okay, Gengar, Mismagius, Breeze, you know what to do."
"Aye-aye, Captain!"
"One surprise disappearing act, coming up!"
"See ya on the inside," they replied quietly as Gengar and Breeze turned invisible and Mismagius faded into the shadows.
With Petunia, the rest of her Pokémon, and Stardust sticking close to her, Lazuli prepared to open the door and head inside but not without Sarah telling her and her baby dragon, "Lazuli, Petunia! ...Be careful, both of you..."
The swordswoman nodded and Petunia babbled with a determined nod as they and the rest of their group entered the phony tower, entering the seemingly structure as the door behind them closed and bracing themselves, knowing Spinel was waiting for them. Once they were in, Sarah sighed and steeled herself before she apparated herself and the others with her away to look for Coral, Sidian, and Chalce.
"Good luck, Lazuli," she thought as they left.
"Well, Spinel, I'm not surprised. You really were trying to bait us into coming here with this thing, too bad I knew you guys too well for that fakeout to work," Lazuli scoffed at Spinel as he and Umbreon appeared before her.
"It doesn't matter, Sweet Cheeks. Please don't insult me after we had the chance to see each other again months later following your leaving and our last battle in that freighter out at sea that night as if I'd let a couple of silly children, colorful heroes, and a traitor derail me so I'd fall behind schedule. You're quite the slippery one for a woman of your type after all this time, aren't you?" her mortal enemy smirked.
"It becomes easier when you've been on the run for four months and working in the shadows for the last twenty years of my life with what I had to do after you morons forcefully roped me into your ploy. I've been wanting to avoid confronting you all time and time again after what you did to me. But, now that I realized running away won't help me this time, and thanks to my time with my new family and my old guardian, I thought it was time we settle the score between us once and for all. And, speaking of which, did you purposely have Coral leak intel about Lucius' Rayquaza after you and Chalce called her and Sidan to help with your new game for him as the kid mentioned?"
"Sharp as ever, Lazuli, you haven't lost your touch as I'd hoped; it'll make our impending battle as sweet as I wanted. As you've already guessed, Coral leaking information about our latest ploy for him was always part of the plan. This facility was designed to keep you and the legendary Professor Friede or one of you shut in so our little date with destiny will go off without a hitch."
"Hmph, I figured as much. Obviously, Friede and I or one of us coming in here was also part of your big plan," Lazuli remarked darkly as Spinel chuckled at her, her Pokémon and Petunia glaring back at him and Umbreon and Stardust snorting and stomping her front right hoof with disdain at the man responsible for much of her owner's suffering.
Meanwhile, with the others from her group, Sarah, Friede, Cap, Ludlow, Liko, Roy, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco returned to Levincia to continue their search.
"You guys, I'm worried about Lazuli... Do you think she can handle Spinel by herself given what she's going through right now?"
"Yeah, is she going to be okay?" Roy and Liko pondered worriedly, feeling concerned for Lazuli.
Sensing their concern and knowing what the swordswoman was thinking, Ludlow stopped the group and reassured the pair before Sarah had the chance to do the same, "We must stay calm and have faith in her; Lazuli knew what she was getting into when she volunteered to take on Spinel herself. She intentionally and unintentionally got herself and all of us into this pickle while working with the Explorers against her will, she's more than capable of getting herself out and taking responsibility for her service under them as she promised. Our job now is to trust her to put things right on her end and move forward with our search for her sake."
Sarah, Friede, and Cap smiled in agreement and nodded, knowing what Ludlow was thinking and having faith in the swordswoman despite their own worries and knowing she had Breeze, her Pokémon, Stardust, and Petunia by her side to look after her.
The sagely fisherman's words quickly got through to Liko and Roy as they both took a deep breath and put their concerns to rest, knowing Lazuli would take care of herself with her group beside her throughout her confrontation with Spinel with Liko eventually telling Roy, "Well, Lazuli did say that tower she's in is a fake and it's possible the Big Three could be somewhere else entirely. After all, she also told us they could be at another vantage point that gives them what they needed to call Rayquaza."
"Alright, let's keep looking for them," the young adventurer agreed as the heroes rushed off to begin their search for Sidian, Coral, and Chalce.
"Where is it? What could their other vantage point be? If it's not the fake tower Lazuli immediately picked out, where else could Coral and Sidian along with Chalce be?" Liko thought, hoping they would not be too late.
It turns out that the Explorers' true vantage point was much closer to home than the heroes thought; at the Levincia Lighthouse, Chalce and her Medicham were up top keeping an eye out for Rayquaza as the more calm, collected, and knowledgeable member of the Explorers' Big Three finished setting up and activating the resonator that would be used to call him. After activating it and she and Medicham began playing the waiting game for her group's main target, Coral and Glalie arrived as her battle-ready and temperamental co-agent proceeded to go off on a rant about their part of Spinel's plan (especially after not seeing Amethio arrive yet).
"Do you really think this thing is actually going to get Rayquaza to show up here before the princess and her entourage catch us out? It's so totally lame! Hey, and what's keeping our little Prince Amethio, anyway? Is he fashionably late as always?" Coral griped impatiently.
"We alone shall carry out this mission as per Spinel's instructions. And, we shall be ready for the princess since you two fought her earlier and got a taste of her battling prowess," Chalce informed much to Coral's amusement as she laughed.
"Whoa, you mean Amethio didn't get picked for the team this time? Well, then, not our problem; Spinel did say he always hated that little brat. And, it's funny because it's true! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"
"Stop with the idle chatter. And, Coral, get back to your post," Sidian barked calmly from Coral's Rotom Phone.
"Yeah, yeah, I know what I'm doing. Post, smost! Seriously, this is so boring...!" Coral grumbled at him as she and Glalie returned to their original position while Sidian could only sigh at her.
"Master, the target will be upon us in moments," Medicham informed, getting Chalce's attention as she turned back to the horizon and eyed the clouds above them.
"It's close," she informed as the trio and their partners readied themselves, unaware of Rayquaza knowing about their plan thanks to Sarah.
With Spinel and Lazuli, the swordswoman braced herself and her group for a fight, "You're too late on your front, Spinel. Your plan is foolproof, I'll admit but it's not perfect. The kid knows what's going on including your new resonator designed to mimic the energy signals emitted by Liko's Terapagos to call Rayquaza. You can't beat it even if you try but if you deny that, what makes you think it's really foolproof?"
Despite this, Spinel remained calm as he told her, "Oh, I'm sure I'll be able to compensate somehow but since you're curious, by analyzing past data, I was able to reproduce the energy your friend's Terapagos emits whenever it calls out to Rayquaza. Despite whatever the princess did behind our backs, however, her intervention won't change anything and it still won't know the difference."
"And, you, Amethio, Chalce, Sidian, and Coral think you still have a chance to match the big guy when you battle him? Go ahead and try but he's a tough cookie; besides, only the kid matched him with a little help as far as I know."
"That's why Coral, Sidian, and Chalce, the best amongst us after you left your position four months ago, are stationed somewhere in Levincia and ready and waiting for him. We willcatch Rayquaza and prove ourselves to it before you, your friends, and Amethio have the chance to meet it again."
"I never thought you'd peg your own colleagues to man the front lines while you, Umbreon, Beeheyem, and Magneton work from the shadows, Spinel. Even if you all are as thick as thieves given your years together under Gibeon's thumb, you really forsake and scapegoat them for your needs and wants? I can only imagine the reward or money he has on him being flushed to you given your underhanded contributions."
"Don't be ridiculous, my dear. You know fully well that's how I operate; if I could make use of anybody or anything, I will! Don't you see? Unlike them, I am the man who will obtain the power of the Black Rayquaza without a fight! Umbreon!"
"Ready, Master!" Umbreon snarled, jumping forward to fight.
"He might have something to say about that when he does show up thanks to the kid and her way with Legendaries. Galaxagus!" Lazuli countered, allowing her Pegasus Pokémon to face Umbreon in battle while the others watched from behind.
"I doubt you can use Galaxagus' flight in such a confined space including the room we're in now let alone run amok with Terastallization even if you could."
"Don't underestimate us even with that little handicap, Spinel. We've beaten you and the others beforehand with or without Terastallization or flight whenever Galaxagus is out on the field, we can do it again. And, if Friede and Cap were in our place, they'd do the same because someone once thought of Cap as nothing less and he regretted it dearly," the swordswoman rebutted as Galaxagus nodded in agreement, still glaring at his charge's enemies.
Spinel smirked at her and made the first move in response, "Now, Umbreon, use Snarl!"
"You're...MINE!" Umbreon roared, using Snarl to try and disorientate her larger foe and everyone else behind him despite him holding his ground as he used Protect.
"Don't let her get to you, Galaxagus! Air Slash, go!" Lazuli shouted, having her father's partner rear on his hind legs with a proud neigh and fire Air Slash at his former "teammate".
"Now, Nasty Plot plus Dark Pulse!"
Neighing in agreement, Galaxagus raised his Special Attack stats with Nasty Plot and fired Dark Pulse at Umbreon who managed to dodge it so she and her human master could try and pull a fast one on him.
"Umbreon, use Foul Play!"
"Right! This one's for humiliating me, you lumbering oaf with wings!" Umbreon seethed as she charged at Galaxagus with Foul Play.
"Not gonna happen! Galaxagus, kick her back then Flamethrower!"
"Got it, Kid!" Galaxagus nodded as he bucked Umbreon in the face and burned her with Flamethrower thanks to the increased power of his Special Attack stats from Nasty Plot.
"Ugh, heh... Clever, you haven't changed a bit in your battling even without flight, old man," Umbreon sneered as she staggered onto her paws.
"I can say the same about you with how you're in your element even if you've yet to touch me or my family," Galaxagus retorted, ready to continue fighting until one side was down and out or otherwise.
Returning to the heroes, after Sarah, Friede, Liko, Roy, Ludlow, Cap, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco regrouped with Race, the Six Heroes, Marena, and the others for an update on their plan and carried on with their search for the Explorers, Terapagos, Larmina, Garnet, and Topaz appeared and they were babbling curiously. It was as if they were sensing something approaching from an area within Levincia's vicinity and even Sarah was picking up something that sounded like a low sound frequency being sent out.
She looked around for the frequency which got Liko's attention as she looked between her and the Terapagos Four, "Terapagos, Larmina, Garnet, Topaz, Sarah?"
"That way!"
"There!" the four Tera Pokémon chirped, seeing Levincia Lighthouse in the distance.
"There, that building? Hmm... So, you guys think those Big Three morons might be there and maybe th-hey... Isn't that supposed to be Levincia Lighthouse on the northeastern end of the city?" Race noticed.
"Now, why would those fools think to call Leader from that building after the princess warned him about them?" Arboliva hissed as she eyed the lighthouse.
"You think Sidian, Chalce, and Coral had their resonator activated and are trying to call him regardless of him knowing about their and Spinel's plan?" Marena questioned.
"It must be; even if they don't know exactly how I've intervened in their gamble, that won't matter to them. They'll do anything to get their hands on him for their purposes and Gibeon's wishes according to Lazuli, I'm sure of it," Sarah nodded.
"Hey, guys, what's up?" Amber called as she and the Jungle Guard returned from Levincia.
"Did you all get Lazuli and her crew to the phony tower where Spinel was waiting to bait her or Friede out?" added Cobalt.
"Hook, line, and sinker; with our resident swordswoman reigning him in from there, we're now trying to find Coral, Sidian, and Chalce and where they could be hiding."
"And, we now know they're currently waiting for Lucius' Rayquaza from Levincia Lighthouse with their resonator already activated over there," Friede and Sarah replied as the little princess pointed the Jungle Guard to Levincia Lighthouse on its cliff end.
"Levincia Lighthouse, huh? Well, since Thrust Girl busted the tower on that deserted island Friede mentioned as nothing but a fake and a trap andthat lighthouse is out of the way from its current location, that would make it a good spot for those dorks to send out a signal to Long, Shiny, Crystallized, and Sharp," Brawleon noted.
"That must be the other vantage point Lazuli told us about before she, her group, and Petunia entered the phony tower!" Roy realized before everybody felt a powerful chill running through their bodies and they braced themselves for the moment of truth. "Liko, Sarah, everyone, you feel that...?"
"Yeah, I know that feeling."
"He's coming, he'll be here soon," the two female friends nodded as the heroes and Coral, Chalce, Sidian, and their partners looked up to the horizon.
And, as the clouds finally parted and a break from the sun's rays finally came through in one area, there was Lucius' Terastal Shiny Rayquaza as he descended from the heavens and roared with utmost power and ferocity behind him (thus making everybody in the area aware of his presence). Seeing him arriving, the little princess wasted no time contacting the others through her Wrist Com.
"Hiccup, guys, it's time! Coral, Sidian, and Chalce are at Levincia Lighthouse with their resonator activated and Rayquaza's here! Intercept them!" she shouted.
"We're on it!"
"Meetcha up there!" Hiccup and Zenna nodded from their end.
"Rayquaza! He's here, just as you said, Sarah!"
"We have to hurry! I just hope we're not too late and they don't catch on to our plan!" Roy and Liko commented as the two Junior Riders, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco jumped aboard Serrate and Char's backs.
"We'll head there right now at full speed!" Ludlow announced, joining Roy and Fuecoco aboard Char.
"Let's move!" Sarah nodded as Roy, Ludlow, Liko, Serrate, and Char took off at full speed and Sarah and Race apparated the others (with Marena returning Lapras, Entei, Kleavor, Moltres, and Arboliva to their balls for their safety) a short distance from Levincia Lighthouse to prepare their next move.
"Just as Spinel predicted, its guard is down. Although, something seems strange like something is off about it right now," Chalce mused as she carefully observed Rayquaza's movements while he noticed the resonator.
"IS THAT THE PUNY MAN-MADE TRAP THE PRINCESS WARNED ME ABOUT? HMPH, IT IS WORTHLESS," snorted Rayquaza, looking unimpressed and recalling Sarah warning him about the Big Three's trap as he eyed the resonator.
"Uh, Chalce, correct me if I'm going off on a tangent but...HE'S NOT LETTING HIS GUARD DOWN!" Coral hissed quietly in annoyance, seeing Lucius' partner eyeing them knowingly.
"Hmm, perhaps the princess is more resourceful than we thought. Very impressive; she seemed to have warned him somehow about our plan and is now biding his time, waiting until we throw in the towel and call it a day or until we make the first move. I won't be surprised if Lazuli had something to do with it, too," Chalce replied, undeterred and intrigued by what Sarah and Lazuli had done behind their backs.
"What'll we do now, Chalce? If that's true, the princess and her forces will be here soon," Sidian asked, wanting to know their next move.
"We will move forward, regardless. And, if they're lying in wait to fight us once we begin, we'll draw them out and make them moving targets for us to bullseye. Commence attack, now."
"Yeah! Glalie, use Blizzard!" Coral smirked as her Face Pokémon attacked first after they emerged from the brush they hid in.
"Garganacl, use Salt Cure!" added Sidian, allowing his Rock Salt Pokémon to attack Rayquaza from the ground.
But, despite the combined efforts of Coral, Sidian, and their partners, the two moves did virtually nothing to phase Rayquaza even though he was weak to Ice and Rock Type attacks as a Dragon/Flying Dual Type. Glalie and Garganacl tried to attack again to see if they could leave a mark on him, however, the two were quickly intercepted by Toothless and Stryka and Stormfly and Pincher with the Night Furies blasting the evil Ice Type with their plasma blasts as well as the Deadly Nadder siblings spiking the evil Rock Type and knocking him about.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Coral snapped at the Night Furies and their riders, Kaulu, and Loki as she barely stood upright on her partner before they were knocked to the ground by Loki and Kaulu using a Double Quick Attack.
"So, you're here as well? I got to hand it to you, the princess knows how to get good help," Sidian remarked, sounding impressed as he eyed Stormfly, Astrid, and Pincher (with Fraxure riding on his back) facing him down while Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, their dragons, their Partner Pokémon, Spew and Sparks, and Gleam and Glimmer joined their friends.
"That's just Part 1 of the thrashing you morons are gonna get today while we keep Rayquaza out of your dirty hands!" Hiccup rebutted.
"And, believe us, when Sarah gets here, she'll have more surprises ready! We're just the start!" added Fishlegs in agreement.
"Legendary Pokémon or not, and even if he had help in the form of strange and unorthodox Vikings who are also Pokémon Trainers, Rayquaza can't do much against a flurry of surprise attacks that he can't counter in time let alone do anything alone. You're up, Medicham, use Psybeam!" Chalce commented, pointing her partner to Rayquaza and allowing her to attack.
"Affirmative! HAAAAA!" Medicham nodded as she concentrated her Psychic Type energy and fired Psybeam at Rayquaza only for him to tank the Psychic Type attack despite it hitting him.
Medicham fired another Psybeam attack but before it could even touch him again, Sarah appeared aboard Winter, canceling it with Cosmic Grace when it was halfway towards the Sky High Pokémon before telling Chalce, "You, Sidian, and Coral made a pretty solid team, Chalce. But, now it's all over! You're not getting Lucius' partner while we're here! Stormy, Mom, Dad, battle stations!"
After hearing that command, Stormy descended from the heavens much to the shock and surprise of Lucius' partner as he noticed her with Moto, Maji, Jiwe, Mti, Barafu, Nyeupe, Nuru, and Radi (their respective royal pilots manning their cockpits again) joining her as they circled him and roared together (effectively making themselves a makeshift barrier to shield him from Chalce, Coral, Sidian, and their partners).
"OH, COME ON! Why do the party crashers always seem to get the good stuff?!" Coral raged in annoyance as she and Glalie picked themselves up and saw Stormy and the royal family's Leo Eight.
"What would you call that, Master Sidian?"
"I see it... But, I hardly dare believe it," Garganacl and Sidian bantered in astonishment at the Leo Eight and Stormy.
"...Interesting; a group of colossal assault vehicles called Zords as Master Gibeon and Hamber mentioned, and a regular Rayquaza without the body coloration and the strange power the Black Rayquaza possesses," Chalce mused thoughtfully as she and Medicham eyed the Leo Eight and Diance's Rayquaza friend with intrigue. "This is most peculiar, I wonder how the princess was able to obtain such a powerful Pokémon and robotic fleet on her end in such a short time..."
As the heroes fought against the Big Three, Liko, Roy, and Ludlow arrived and they, Char, Serrate, Sprigatito, and Fuecoco noticed the Explorers' resonator on the lighthouse.
"Liko, look! Over there, on the top of the lighthouse; that thing must be the resonator the Big Three and Spinel made and it's calling out to Rayquaza just as Lazuli said!" Roy cried, pointing at the activated resonator with Chalce and Medicham.
"We have to let the others and Marena know, Roy! It's a good thing Rayquaza's not falling for it after Sarah warned him," Liko decided, knowing they would need help from the rest of their group should things get dire.
Through a quick video phone call to the rest of the heroes back at the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft, Liko and Roy told them everything, hoping they were ready to jump in and lend a hand in helping Rayquaza on their part.
"Well, it all makes sense now... And, this confirms what Lazuli and Reader told us earlier."
"We have to find some way to shut down that machine. It's a total nuisance to Rayquaza with how it emits Terapagos' energy even if he's in the know about it."
"Rayquaza will be in big trouble should Chalce, Sidian, and Coral take it to the max," Murdock, Mollie, and Orla commented grimly.
"I've finished the program, you guys. We're ready," Dot informed much to the heroes' delight. "But, we can't use it from this far. I'll have to sneak onto the top of Levincia Lighthouse with Plume, Quaxly, and Tinkatink. I hope Sarah and the others keep Chalce, Coral, and Sidian's attention on them long enough for us to do it."
Despite his initial worries, Murdock still couldn't help but feel proud of his niece as he then said, "Okay, Dot, good luck! We'll make sure you get up there. Everyone, go to your stations!"
"Yes, Sir!" the others with him nodded as they prepared to head out.
Meanwhile, with Spinel and Lazuli, the pair continued to duke it out between Umbreon and Galaxagus with neither Pokémon giving any quarter nor gaining any advantage between them. As they waited to see who could move next, the rumbling of the battle from afar soon caught everyone's attention as the tower shook.
"Hmph, it seems the Black Rayquaza has appeared just as you and the princess predicted," Spinel smirked knowingly, making Lazuli realize that time was up and that she must rendezvous with the others now that Lucius' Rayquaza had arrived.
"Is that so? Galaxagus, now!" the swordswoman shouted, drawing her sword and allowing Galaxagus to attack again as he charged forward.
"Umbreon, quick, Foul Play!" Spinel countered, having Umbreon counter with Foul Play as the two Dark Types went against each other and the Pegasus Pokémon allowed himself to be thrown back and hit the wall behind him and Lazuli (which surprised the rest of their group).
"You may think you and Spinel have us beat, Umbreon, but that couldn't be farther from the truth!"
"We and our colleagues don't think we've beaten you, we know it!"
"You know nothing!" Galaxagus and Umbreon spat at each other as they traded blows with the Flying/Dark Type being thrown back towards the wall behind him on purpose as if he was letting himself be "pummeled" by his smaller opponent (which Panthera and the rest slowly realized after seeing the dents and cracks on the wall).
"So, as usual, you're stalling for time to give your cohorts a chance to snag in the bigger fish and fry it, right, Spinel? You really haven't changed a bit; at least, the kids and I are smart enough to change things up in a Pokémon battle like this. I need to wrap this match up and catch an appointment with our honorable guest from the heavens."
"Indeed, but as you've always changed up your tactics, I've been changing my own plans step by step to adapt and meet your demands for occasions such as this. As I've expected, I'm afraid you're powerless to outwit me this time, Sweet Cheeks; you couldn't break out of this little makeshift cell even if you tried."
"Oh, yeah? Then, why not take in a little tag team surprise from not one but two of my Pokémon this time? Stand your ground, Galaxagus! Come on, Panthera, jump in! It's showtime!"
"Right, coming your way, Galax!" Panthera nodded as he jumped into the field and met Umbreon before he was bashed into the same spot Galaxagus had been hitting on the wall and carried on with the assault.
"Hmph, you keep repeating the same failed frontal assault tactic every time even though you've switched Pokémon," Spinel smirked only to realize Lazuli was now giving him a determined and unwavering grin which struck him as odd since he expected her to crack (giving off a confused yet suspicious frown in the process).
That little frown, however, was his big mistake as Lazuli seized the opportunity to stage what she called her latest breakout, "It's time, Galaxagus, Panthera! Join forces and attack! Use Flamethrower plus Power Gem!"
"Umbreon, use Reflect!" Spinel countered, having Umbroen use Reflect to counter her opponents' special moves with Panthera's Power Gem hitting the barrier first and the Flamethrower from Galaxagus hitting it next (creating a cloud of smoke that blocked Spinel's vision before Umbreon was taken by surprise as she was rammed at from her right side by an unknown force which were the two balls of light with Lazuli).
"Gengar, Mismagius, Breeze!" Lazuli screamed, allowing Gengar, Mismagius, and Plume to break their group out using a combined Shadow Punch, Shadow Ball, and sonic scream (with Petunia using her dragon fire (and the Dragonstone to amplify and control her flames) to give them a power boost which allowed them to blast a large hole on the very spot where Galaxagus and Panthera were knocked at)
Spinel was shocked as the smoke cleared and he saw the hole in the wall while Lazuli smirked, "Sorry about your little tower after all the money and effort you wasted to make it, pal. But, I've got a timetable to keep and I'm running behind schedule! Ha!"
"Grr, damn you, Lazuli Himura!" Umbreon seethed.
"Unreal, you played us by using Galaxagus and Panthera as a front the whole time?" Spinel peeped as Lazuli and her group left.
"Thanks for the reunion and allowing us to make the best use of you but I gotta split, see ya! Ha-ha, loser! Come on, guys!" the swordswoman mocked as she got aboard Breeze with Petunia joining her, Panthera riding aboard Galaxagus, and Mismagius and Gengar carefully carrying her younger Pokémon as they made their way to Levincia Lighthouse, leaving Spinel and Umbreon behind.
As they left, the two balls of light reappeared and blinked at her wildly as if they were relieved but also flustered and frustrated at her for what she was doing during her fight with her former colleague and his Moonlight Pokémon.
"Hey, we managed to stay alive and played him for a fool while we broke out, didn't we? I'm sorry, cut me some slack!" she replied as if she was talking to them like normal, making her blink and realize what she was doing. "Wait, I'm talking to two balls of light blinking like crazy as if they knew me and were trying to talk to me... What am I doing?"
"Dragon! Dragon there!" Petunia cooed, pointing Lazuli and the others in their group to Rayquaza who was with the Leo Eight, Stormy, Sarah, Winter, the Viking Teens, their dragons and Pokémon, and the Explorers' Big Three duking it out at Levincia Lighthouse.
"Hey! There's our big man along with the others! And, they're in a battle waltz with Coral, Chalce, and Sidian. Come on, guys, let's roll!" Lazuli nodded as she and her group pressed forward.
"...That was, interesting, Master. The Battousai's much better and more clever than we thought, what do you think?" mused Umbreon, impressed by what she witnessed.
"Hmm, it appears I've underestimated how much Lazuli has grown since she joined forces with the princess and the Rising Volt Tacklers, Umbreon. Oh, well... I suppose I'll need to study her and everything about her now more carefully. That would also include Friede since he would've pulled something like this as well but in his own style," Spinel replied with intrigue, observing the hole in the wall.
With the heroes, thanks to the help of Stormy and the Leo Eight, they continued to give Coral, Sidian, and Chalce a hard time with their ongoing efforts to protect Lucius' Rayquaza and keep him out of their hands with Moto and Mti being the ones giving Coral, Sidian, Glalie, and Garganacl grief with their Mouth Cannons and Tail Lasers. This included Stormy taking in some of the lucky hits Glalie, Medicham, and Garganacl got in on her and her fellow Sky High Pokémon as she would sometimes jump in and use herself as a shield (which greatly surprised Lucius' partner).
"Rayquaza, LOOK OUT!" Stormy bellowed as she strained and propped herself against Glalie and Garganacl's latest assault as salt and ice patches built up on her body.
"MISS, YOU-!" Lucius' partner balked in stunned awe.
"Guys, we're in trouble! Stormy's not going to hold out much longer with how Garganacl and Glalie are ganging up on her and Rayquaza despite help from the Leo Eight!" Fishlegs warned the others on his, Dragonair, and Meatlug's end.
"They're pushing back as hard as we are!"
"We have to keep on trying! Go, Sparks, Spew, let 'em have it!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut called back, having Sparks and Spew add to the heroes' counterattack against the Big Three.
"I'll admit, the princess's entourage is unorthodox but formidable despite their looks! And, even that Rayquaza of hers is putting up a fight!" Sidian admitted as he and Garganacl held their ground.
"Formidable?! I can't get at the Black Rayquaza with them and those giant robots in the way! They're impossible!" Coral snapped in reply.
"It doesn't matter since as with all machines and living creatures, even they have their weaknesses. That normal Rayquaza can only take so many hits thrown its way and the strain of our ongoing assault for so long with how it's shielding our target. Regardless, our eventual victory is certain and it willcome to pass," Chalce reassured as she took out an Ultra Ball and prepared to catch Lucius' partner.
"Hold it!" Roy shouted at her as he, Liko, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, Serrate, Char, Ludlow, Race, Marena, Ash, Goh, Gladion, and the Pokémon and Paldea School Gangs arrived.
"Don't do it!" Liko cried.
"Stop, you don't know what you're doing! Rayquaza doesn't belong to you!" Ash called out.
"Leave him alone!" growled Pikachu, his cheeks sparking with fury.
"He doesn't want to go with you!" agreed Goh as his Cinderace, Inteleon, and Grookey readied themselves for battle.
"Put that Ultra Ball down and leave this area, right now!" Marena bellowed as she stepped forward and brought out her staff.
"Huh?! IT'S THEM!" Coral shrieked in shock, twitching as she noticed the other heroes.
"Heh... Sorry, Rangers, but you and your powerless friends are too late," scoffed Chalce indifferently.
"If you and the princess don't mind, we'll be the ones to catch the Black Rayquaza," added Sidian, confident in his group's victory as he and Garganacl readied themselves for a fight again so the heroes wouldn't interfere.
At that moment, Chalce prepared to throw the Ultra Ball at Lucius' Rayquaza once she saw an opening. But, before she could even have the chance to throw it, everyone's attention was drawn to the Dragon Craft and the Brave Olivine as they came into view (with everyone inside both aircraft including Clavell, his fellow faculty, the Paldea Gym Leaders, the rest of Sarah's family, the Circle of Twelve, Murdock, Mollie, and Orla hoping to give Dot a fighting chance to sneak onto the top of Levincia Lighthouse and shut down the resonator).
"Hey, it's everyone and Dot!" Liko realized.
"They're here!" Zenna added.
"Alright!" smirked Snotlout.
"I hope we're not too late! Fuecoco, use Stomping Tantrum," Roy prayed, having his partner use Stomping Tantrum as they joined in the effort to safeguard Lucius' partner and derail the Explorers' plans to capture the Terastal Shiny Sky High Pokémon (even though it didn't do much to make Chalce lose the Ultra Ball in her hands).
"How impertinent. Garganacl, use Salt Cure!" Sidian huffed, having his partner use Salt Cure to stop the heroes in their tracks as they targeted Fuecoco.
"Inteleon, use Liquidation!" Goh countered, having his Secret Agent Pokémon dodge Salt Cure and strike at the Rock Salt Pokémon.
"Sprigatito/Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" added Ash and Liko, having Sprigaito and Pikachu use Quick Attack to zip around the pair and have them deal with moving targets so they don't know who to hit and where they're going to stop.
"Those little rascals; they won't stop moving," Sidian grunted as he couldn't keep up with their speedy movements.
Chalce grunted in annoyance as she realized her group's window of opportunity to capture Lucius' Rayquaza was shrinking with every second wasted. Knowing this, she decided to go forward with the final stage of their plan as she reeled back and prepared to throw the Ultra Ball again.
However, the heroes were one step ahead of the Explorers' Big Three again as Ash and Roy jumped in to stop her again with Sophocles, Kiawe, Nemona, Kieran, Ortega, and Atticus joining in to help.
"Not so fast!" Roy continued as he sent Wattrel to the field. "Wattrel, go!"
"Help Wattrel out, Rowlet!" Ash cried, having his Rowlet join Wattral.
"Kilowattrel!"
"Dragalge!"
"Klefki!"
"Charizard and Vikavolt, let's go!"
"Get ready, Yanmega and Gliscor!"
"CHARGE!" the nine Pokémon roared as they charged at Chalce and gave Coral and Glalie grief in the process when they tried to defend her.
"You there, punch and blow!" called Kilowattrel to Kieran's Yanmega and Gliscor as they, Kiawe's Charizard, Klefki, and Dragalge bugged Coral and her Face Pokémon.
"Use Spark/Sead Bomb!" Ash and Roy continued as Wattrel and Rowlet managed to stop the Ultra Ball and destroy it before it could reach Lucius' Rayquaza much to Chalce's chagrin.
"You'll have to do better than that if you want to take him and beat us!" Ash's Rowlet spat at her and Medicham.
"Foolish Pokémon and Power Rangers, you're only delaying and putting off the inevitable: our victorious capture of the Black Rayquaza and your destruction in your foolish quest to save him!" snorted Medicham, unimpressed by what she and Chalce see a cluster of fruitless heroics as she got into her battle stance.
"Medicham, use Psybeam!" Chalce growled, having her partner use Psybeam to try and take out Wattrel and Rowlet while they were left wide open as payback.
"Wattrel/Rowlet!" Roy and Ash screamed as they hurried to catch them should they be hit and fall.
But, just as Medicham fired Psybeam and it was about to reach the pair, they were suddenly shielded by Honchkrow whom took the Psychic Type attack for them and brushed it off (since it was immune to Psychic Type attacks like Psybeam given its Pokemon Type), surprising the pair and the two Flying Types it rescued. Wattrel and Rowlet could only stare in surprise and disbelief as they took in the large Pokémon bird that saved them and it turned to them before smiling.
"Woah! Who are you?!"
"Uh…thanks whoever you are."
"It looks like we were able to catch up with you, that we are!" Mary's Honchkrow (voice reference: Kenshin Himura (Rurouni Kenshin - 1996 anime)) smirked at them.
"Honchkrow! But, does that mean?" gasped Roy and Ash, sharing their Pokémon's astonishment at the Dark/Flying type.
"Hey! Heads up, losers! You better stay out of our way!" barked a seething Coral as she and Glalie barged past the Flying Types giving them no end of trouble and tried to take out the heroes on the ground only to be blocked off by a Mystical Fire and Dragon Breath combo attack. "AH! You little-?!"
Everyone turned and there was Lazuli aboard Plume with her Pokémon and Petunia.
"Lazuli!"
"Petunia!" Liko, Roy, and Sarah cried ecstatically, seeing that they and the rest of their group arrived unscathed from Spinel's trap.
"What's up, everybody? Are we too late to join the party with a few new guests?" the swordswoman joked.
"We're here~!"
"Say your prayers, bug boys and girls!" snarked Gengar and Mismagius towards the Explorers.
"Augh! You again, Lazuli!? Since when did you get a Gengar, Mismagius, Dragonite, and Honchkrow?!" Coral ranted at her former colleague.
"Wouldn't you like to know, especially since your and Spinel's so-called tower on that deserted island my friends and I trekked through was nothing but a dud and a mouse trap meant for me and our very own Indiana Jones with us?"
Chalce gritted her teeth at Lazuli, realizing she had outwitted Spinel and her colleague was still no match for her with what she pulled on him. Her annoyance grew as she and Medicham found them in the shadows of the Brave Olivine and Dragon Craft who were giving Dot, Tinkatink, Quaxly, and Plume the chance they needed to sneak aboard Levincia Lighthouse and get close to the resonator and shut it down.
"And, now... GO!" Murdock signaled, allowing Dot (in her Nidothing cosplay), Plume, Tinkatink, and Quaxly to jump and fly down onto the lighthouse.
Apart from Plume as he safely flew down, the young recluse and her Pokémon screamed as they braced themselves for the landing. Thankfully, however, the cosplay had enough air locked inside to shield Dot from the impact and soften her landing before it did the same for the Duckling and Metalsmith Pokémon as it acted like an airbag for stunt falls and jumping off soon after, saving them from taking lethal fall damage. The placement of their landing was also impeccable as they were directly in front of Chalce, Medicham, and the resonator.
"W-Wha-What just-?!" the bewildered Explorer spluttered as Dot quickly made her move before they could do anything.
"Quaxly, use Water Gun! Tinkatink, use Slam!"
"Medicham, dodge and take them down!" Chalce called, allowing her partner to fight back to try and knock out Quaxly and Tinkatink as they wailed at her.
"Scream, Plume!" Dot continued, having her male Featherhide use his sonic scream to stop Medicham and Chalce in their tracks as they covered their ears and tried to withstand it (grunting in pain as they did so and their eardrums rang wildly).
Seeing her chance thanks to her three family members and friends (who were continuing to keep Medicham and her partner's focus on them as best they could), the young recluse hurriedly got out of her cosplay with her Rotom Phone at hand, darting towards the resonator and ready to insert the program that would instantly shut both it and the Big Three's plan to capture Lucius' Rayquaza down.
"Alright, where's the power port? ...There!" she deducted, seeing the power outlet on the right side of the resonator (in the US plug style) and charging at it before inserting her Rotom Phone into it (after it produced the appropriate plug, of course). "Go...ROTOM!"
"What?!" Chalce balked in shock, realizing what just happened too late as the resonator downloaded Dot's program and it instantly shut down.
"Yes!"
"Did you just-?!"
"Quaxly, Tinkatink, Plume, come on!" Dot called to her dragon and Pokémon as the trio climbed aboard Plume and quickly flew down to ground zero to join the others.
"She did it!"
"Muy bien!"
"Score!"
"You did it, Dot!"
"Alright, Dot!"
"Yeah!"
"Good work!" Lana, Nemona, Giacomo, Sarah, Liko, Roy, and Arven cheered as the heroes briefly celebrated their victory over the Explorers.
"I don't believe it...!" Sidian remarked, astonished as Lazuli, Breeze, Petunia, and her Pokémon landed on the ground and either smirked or glared at him.
"You better believe it, Sidian, you've lost," she chuckled.
"Hey, Dot?"
"You okay?" Quaxly and Tinkatink asked Dot once they and Plume were safely away from Chalce and Medicham and now back with the others.
"Quaxly, Tinkatink, Plume, great job," she smiled, looking at all three of them.
"Hey, don't mention it. You managed to shut down that thing," Plume grinned back.
"Yeah, we did good. But, still... I-I-It, it was, s-s-so, s-scary..." Tinkatink agreed as she felt like crying, trying but failing to control herself over how scary the ordeal was.
"Oh! D-Don't cry, Sis! Uh, i-i-it's okay!" Quaxly replied, looking flustered while Plume hurriedly covered his ears and gave a small whimper.
"Oh! Uh, don't-! It's okay, I know it's scary! Tinkatink, return," Dot reassured quickly before deciding to return Tinkatink to her Pokeball for a rest and to get her away from the intensity of the battle they took part in.
"Dot! You did it!"
"That was awesome!"
"Congratulations, Nidothing!"
"You're a hero!" Liko, Roy, Atticus, and Eri cheered, getting the trio's attention as they turned to their friends singing their praises for them and Tinkatink from their right or left.
In response, Dot took off her headband, let her bangs down, and gave them a thumbs-up while Quaxly and Plume smiled back at them and her.
At last, unable to sit by and watch as the heroes risked their lives to save him (especially Stormy as she took much of the brunt of Glalie and Garganacl's Salt Cure and Blizzard attacks), Lucius' Rayquaza roared and broke his fellow Sky High Pokémon free from the ice and salt clinging onto her body, preparing to end the battle himself in one fell swoop.
"MY TURN!" he bellowed as he readied his Draco Meteor attack.
"(?!) No!" Stormy cried in horror as she turned to her counterpart, seeing him preparing to strike everyone down regardless of their allegiances now that he was worked up again.
"Rayquaza!"
"What's going on up there?!"
"The battle's becoming so intense with all of us trying to safeguard him and the Explorers trying to capture him, he's becoming stressed and is starting to go crazy again!" Carmine, Drayton, and Race gasped, shocked.
"He's coming at us all with a Draco Meteor attack!" Amarys cried, seeing the first signs of Rayquaza's Draco Meteor attack.
"Take cover!" Lazuli shouted to everyone gathered.
"Look out!" Arven wailed as everybody braced themselves for the assault.
"Tao, Drogon, Reshiram, help!" Sarah bellowed as she raised her right hand and called for Drogon and the two Vast White Pokémon.
"Rayquaza! DON'T DO IT!" Marena screamed at the top of her voice with a mother's agony.
But, it was too late; just as Marena called out to him, Rayquaza unleashed one of his most devastating attacks yet, his initial meteor breaking down into several reconciliation meteors that threatened to hit everyone unlucky enough to be within range like before at Lapras and his pirates' old hideout.
Some of the meteors were hurtling towards Dot but Plume shielded her as best he could while Quaxly used Water Gun to knock them back and away. Hearing Sarah's call to them, Tao, Drogon, and Reshiram appeared to help with Tao using Freeze Burn to destroy the meteors that were about to knock Friede, his Charizard, Cap, Kilowattrel, Yanmega, Gliscor, Vikavolt, Klefki, Dragagle, Rowlet, and Wattrel out of the sky and Drogon doing the same with his flames for the Pokemon and Paldea School Gangs.
A few of the meteors were hurtling toward Marena as she braced herself for her imminent death by her and her husband's own Pokémon but Baxcalibur, Lapras, Kleavor, Arboliva, Moltres, and Entei emerged from their Pokeballs and destroyed the meteors with their respective attacks before they could take out their friend and human mother (much to her relief and gratitude as she smiled at them).
The Leo Eight fired their Tail Lasers at the reconciliation meteors as they protected the Brave Olivine and MK-1 managed to activate the Dragon Craft's shields to protect it, himself, and his passengers. But, while the passengers in the Dragon Craft were safe, the same couldn't be said for the others in the Brave Olivine.
"Oh, no!"
"Not cool!"
"This is bad!" Slugma, Carkol, and Orla gasped from the engine room as the Brave Olivine rocked and rolled with Mollie and the rest of their and Murdock's party bracing themselves for any impact coming their way in the medical bay (the Pokémon whimpering as they huddled closely together).
"We're cooked if we don't get out of here!" Murdock fretted as he turned the airship as fast as possible to get it away from the meteors.
Cap, Friede, and Charizard were not having a break either as the Brave Olivine captain used Thunderbolt to destroy the meteors that nearly weaseled their way toward their friends and the older Flame Pokémon spread his wings to keep Friede sheltered. All the while, Reshiram joined in the rescue efforts as he used Fusion Flare to shield everyone else down below from the rest.
But, with Glalie and Coral, the energetic and reckless Explorer was at her breaking point once again as they got out of the brush they were knocked into and charged at Lucius' Rayquaza in absolute rage.
"Grr...! That, is, IT! I've had it with you, you big fat lizard! Now, you're making me REALLY, REALLY MAD! STOP MESSING WITH MEEEEEE!" she screamed at him, feeling fit to burst.
Chalce noticed Coral's reckless and hate-filled charge toward the Terastal Shiny Sky High Pokémon and gasped in horror, "Coral! No! Don't try to chase it!"
"BLOW IT AWAY! GLALIE, USE SELF-DESTRUUUUUUUUUUUCT!" Coral raged as she jumped off her partner.
"Now, you meddlesome dino... DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!" Glalie bellowed as he prepared to use Self-Destruct.
"NO!" Sarah shouted as her eyes glowed and she unleashed the Roar of the Elders before everyone's eyes, stopping Glalie dead in his tracks as he stopped and wailed from the noise ringing in his ears and allowing Rayquaza to land a powerful Dragon Pulse that caused him to explode prematurely.
But, it wasn't enough to prevent what happened next; the shockwaves from the explosion were so intense that they immediately sent Lucius' partner flying back and crashing into the Brave Olivine's balloon (as the airship was unfortunately right behind him). And, despite its shields, when the Dragon Craft came into contact with the Brave Olivine's boat hull, it was also rocked as their respective passengers tried to regain themselves and their balance as they were jostled about.
"Rayquaza!" Stormy gasped at her counterpart.
The heroes gasped in horror at the sight of the Brave Olivine's damaged balloon and the Dragon Craft now getting caught in the crossfire as it was knocked about, too.
"Mollie, Murdock, Orla!"
"Director Clavell, Iono, Ms. Katy, Larry!"
"Guys, no!" Lillie, Arven, and Penny screamed, horrified.
"This is terrible!"
"Very, very bad!" Ludlow and Sandy peeped, aghast.
"What'll we do now?!" Roy asked, now horrified by what had happened to their aircraft and the passengers inside them.
To Be Continued...