Trials of Sarah Vol 5: Pokemon Horizions

by Snow Nadder

(Takes place during the Summer of Paldea Adventure) While being a guest speaker at the Indigo Academy in Kanto, Sarah and Race suddenly get sucked into another world trotting adventure when they meet Liko and her Sprigatito. When the Explorers target the three of them for their Terapagos, they suddenly meet Professor Friede and the Rising Volt Tacklers.

53. Interlude: Part 2: Eclipse Reminiscent

It had been nearly two days since the heroes discovered the Celestial Sanctuary (the home of Race's Celestial Sanctuary Zords and an island floating in the heavens above Paldea) and reunited Lazuli with her parents. After they were introduced to Seiya and Mary, Murdock, Orla, Mollie, Ludlow, and everyone else were in total shock and disbelief to see the Unicorn and Nemean Lion Zodiacs alive and in their restored human bodies after being wandering spirits throughout the last twenty years.

Lazuli was too happy with herself now that she was back with her loved ones, and with their fates finally sealed thanks to Sarah, Luna, and Discord, she could finally put her past with the Explorers behind her. She was still sketchy about Amethio, Onia, and Zirc's fates after learning about what happened to them at some point during Liko, Dot, and Roy's time in Uva Academy with the little princess, Race, and Asha according to Reader's visions. But, regardless of her better judgment, she was still willing to do the right thing and save their lives.

The new school term was drawing closer than ever on the night of August 22nd and the heroes were over at Sarah, Asha, and Race's Cabo Poco summerhouse (and, of course, with Liko staying briefly before she would finally return home). The young girl, Roy, and Dot (for the most part in Liko and Roy's case and after completing their new student orientation the previous day) could hardly wait to begin their time in Uva Academy's Terastal Course alongside the little princess, her husband, and her sister, knowing they would finally learn how to Terastallize their Pokemon just as Nemona, Brassius, Lazuli, Friede, and Amethio had.

But, out of all the people and Pokémon sleeping for the day ahead, Sarah and Race were bombarded with a barrage of unsettling images and visions as they slept peacefully in their shared bedroom.

As they slept, they dreamt of a series of giant fighting robots that were corrupted and wreaking havoc in a hidden facility in the Alola Region (three in total) including a griffin, a unicorn, and a dragon, all of them trapped with their original or noble forms distorted by a deadly force. If one were to look at them, they would've mistaken them as part of the Wild Zords belonging to the Power Rangers Wild Force. But, from the mysterious force plaguing them, dark energy radiated from them as their cries for help echoed throughout (or, specifically, their pleas for salvation sounding desperate and full of anguish).

"Follow the cries and save the lives of the Forgotten Ones," a voice (belonging to the spirit of the Solgaleo Ranger) rang out to them, jolting the young couple back to reality.

"NO!" they screamed as sweat beads formed on their foreheads and tricked down, finding themselves in a cold sweat.

"...What, the hell, was that...?" Race muttered as he breathed heavily, wiping his brow.

"I don't know... But, that was no dream," Sarah panted, shaken by the visions they were shown. "...Did you see what I just saw just now?"

"Yeah... But, I don't get it. Those things; they look like Zords-Wild Zords, if whatever we saw means anything..."

"Wild Zords? But, I thought they and Princess Shayla were still in the Animarium after they and the Wild Force Rangers destroyed Master Org years ago."

"I thought so, too. But, it couldn't be them since there haven't been any Orgs around for years and Jindrax and Toxica were still on their journey of self-discovery so they couldn't be responsible for the Wild Zords we saw."

"Yeah, and there was something off about them. They had a dark aura and were in a weird place, almost like a hidden base."

"A hidden base? No way, apart from our Command Centers, who else would need a base for those things...?"

"...Lothor/Team Eclipse..." they finished quietly, a sinking realization in their stomachs as they went pale with dread.

---

The following day, on August 23rd, the royal couple gathered everyone else in the summerhouse's living room and told them about the visions of the corrupted Wild Zords (appropriately named Dark Zords) hidden in what was supposedly Team Eclipse's old base. The only ones not with the group were Nemona, Arven, Carmine, Kieran, and the rest of the Paldea School Gang as they returned home to spend time with their families (with Arven joining Nemona to see her family) and to prepare themselves for the upcoming school term (which included turning in the reports they had been doing on what they experienced in the Galar Region during their time away from Paldea).

"Wild Zords?!" Friede, Lazuli, Dot, Roy, and Liko gawked.

"In your home region?!" Murdock and Orla gasped in shock.

"And, you're saying... These Wild Zords are corrupted and became what you call Dark Zords?" Mollie questioned gravely, pondering over what they were told.

"Are you kidding? You mean those three robotic stooges you saw somehow ended up like Merrick's Wolf, Hammerhead, and Alligator Zords when he first became the infamous Org, Zen-Aku, through his mask?" Rooster asked the young couple in disbelief.

"And, I thought those three were bad enough when they pummeled Cole and his friends and stole the Giraffe and Elephant Zords and the Bear Brothers after they were turned to the dark side by its curse," Dog quipped.

"But, nobody knows about those Dark Zords; Princess Shayla and Red Lion wouldn't know about those three themselves. Not even the Morphin Masters would know even if they had been watching everything the Power Rangers did from the Morphin Grid," Asha said doubtfully.

"You're right, there's no way there could've been any Wild Zords left ever since Master Org was finished and they, the princess, and the Animarium returned to the heavens," nodded Pig.

"Princess, what you're suggesting about these Dark Zords is impossible. Lothor could never have any other Zords with him," Tsukumaro told Sarah.

"The only Zord we've seen in Team Eclipse's hands was that cheap and powerful knockoff the two of us and King obliterated in Evox's Cyber Dimension and even that was a dud given how we took advantage of its power overloads and King's new Ultra Sunne Mode," Solar noted.

"But, didn't you say Lothor and Team Eclipse were sealed away for five hundred years, Princess? You didn't know exactly when the seal your parents and godfather placed on them broke so if they had those Zords you saw on them, they would've hidden them away and infected them with their dark power after they found them. They could've been a last resort before your final encounter but they never got the chance to use them," Aloe theorized.

"...If it's what you think, Aloe, maybe... He did corrupt them just as he did with Spherialla's sons," Sarah nodded after briefly thinking about it.

"Did you ever find out where his and Team Eclipse's base was after defeating them before finding your blood parents, Sarah?" Murdock asked curiously.

"No, it never crossed our minds; we never bothered to look for them given how they came to us and my old friends each time they wanted to take us down. If the Dark Zords in their possession are still in Alola somewhere, and they ever break free, who knows what kind of destruction they could unleash upon the region and the world?"

"That's if you could find them first and purify them before they go amok," Orla reminded.

"But, how will we get to the Alola Region before then?"

"Yeah, the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft took a beating a few days ago," Liko and Roy added.

"Well, there's the Stormwing Patroller back at Dragonstone; we can take it back home before school starts again. But, I should warn you, though. Ever since Team Eclipse and Lothor were destroyed, Alola's been pretty peaceful. We don't know how long the Dark Zords were locked away but even so, with the Explorers still at large and if they're not in control of their actions, we can't be too careful."

"We'll need all the help we can get for Island Girl to purify them but given what the gang's been through with us as of late, we obviously can't bring them back into the fold," Race continued.

"...I guess this means we're gonna have to call in the rest of the crew back home to jump in here," Sarah decided, knowing they had no other choice.

"You mean we'll actually get to see the rest of your family and your other Alola friends on your home turf?! Alright!"

"YAY! Alola, here we come!" Roy and Fuecoco cheered excitedly.

"Well, if it helps, I'll drop a call on Burnet and Kukui and let them know we're coming back," Rotoscope suggested as he came out of Sarah's pocket.

"Thanks, Rotoscope, but tell them we're not coming home for a social visit and are on official ranger business," the little princess nodded before she turned to the Diamond Pokémon. "Are you and your friends coming, too?"

"Well, it wouldn't hurt for me to see what your kingdom is like even if we're not going to be long. My friends will watch over things in Cabo Poco and your summerhouse while we're gone so it won't be a bother. I'll be happy to join you, Princess, even if I'll have to bring my shadows with me given what we're up against," Diancie replied.

"Hey!"

"We heard that M'lady!" huffed Glacial and Haunterstride, pouting at her in annoyance.

Diancie just chuckled at them before she looked at Kubfu, "Would you like to join us for this important assignment, Kubfu?"

"Are you kiddin' me, M'lady? Of course, I'm tagging along with you! There's no way I'm missing out on anything involving the princess and her home kingdom!" grinned Kubfu, eager to begin her journey with the Alolan Royal Family after being found and brought into her group's alliance.

Sarah only smiled, "Well, if that's settled, I'll have the Dragonstone Patrol send the Stormwing Patroller over now."

"Hmm. Alright, everybody! Next stop, the Alola Region!"

"YEAH!" Friede and the others declared.

---

(Opening)

Now, head forth! Pierce through the clouds~

(Our opening for Part 2 of Pokémon Horizons (i.e. The Gleam of Terapagos) begins with Liko, Sarah, and Race in a triangle formation (Liko up top, Race from the bottom right-hand corner from her left, and Sarah from the bottom left-hand corner on her right) as their pendant and Terapagos Three shone in darkness before the former turned into Liko's Terapagos)

(We swiftly pan across the oceans akin to the beginning of the opening of Attack on Titan S4 Pt. 2 (The Rumbling by SIM) before stopping amongst the horizon as the titles for Pokémon Horizons: The Gleam of Terapagos appeared amidst a sunset/sunrise)

When I remember the words I couldn't say
I dove down to hide myself
Swimming my way through in uncertainty
I cut through the clouds and head for the blue sky

(We see a young Liko walking with her parents through a marketplace before we see her as she is, her uncertainty lifted as she holds and looks at her pendant underneath a moonlit sky from the rooftop of her family's house along with Sarah as she enjoyed her life in Alola growing up before she is shown holding her family's Sun Sword in its powered-down form as the young woman she is and held it above her head underneath the Alolan sun in a split-screen sequence. Then, in a flurry of Leafage and cosmic energy, we see the pair with their three Terapagos, Sprigatito, Hatenna, Blitz, Curly, and Silvally enjoying the breeze together on the observation decks of the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft)

One day, I'll look back
At that fiery red sunset
And burn it all into memory

(A young Roy is shown being fascinated by stories his grandfather was showing him until we see him as the boy he is (looking dirty all over and wearing the Brave Olivine's flag like a cape) eyeing the Ancient Pokeball that once held Lucius' Rayquaza in his right hand and raising it high above him in the rising or setting sun while Race is seen being found by Brandon, enjoying life with him and the other Frontier Brains, and being the man he is now as he eyed the camera and held a Pokeball in front of him while glaring at the camera in the same split-screen sequence before they're shown via Flamethrower, Shadow Claw, and Thunder watching the sunset on the Brave Olivine's Wing Deck and the Dragon craft's sun deck watching the sunset with Bella, Robbie, Tou-Tou, Wattrel, and Fuecoco)

Even if I can't reach the truth of the world~
Or the feelings of that girl~
It's okay to not understand~
Just shine like a rainbow~

(We are shown their friends and Sarah's family including a few of their Pokémon in five/six slot group sequences as follows: Friede, Orla, Mollie, Dot, Ludlow, and Murdock with Charizard, Metagross and Elekid, Chansey, Quaxly, Rockruff and Alcremie, and Quagsire; Burnet (with the cute addition of Lei) and Kukui with Munchlax, Incineroar, and Braviary joined by Diane, James, Nikki, and Johnathan with Romeo, Dragonite, Lucario, Clover, Catnip, Juliet, and Clover; Ash, Lana, Mallow, Kiawe, Lillie, and Sophocles with their respective partners; and Delilah, Doug, Donna (former queen), David, Asha, and Gladion with Mischief, Persian, the Tomoe Squad, Flicker, Flicka, June, Proud, Ziracon, Umbreon, Silvally, and Lycanroc; Goh, Nemona, Arven, Penny, and Team Star with Meowscarda, Pawmo, Killowattrel, Cinderace, Inteleon, Grookey, Mabostiff, the Eevees, Bisharp, Torkoal, Skuntank, Revavroom, Azumarill, Wigglytuff, Passimian, and Toxicroak; and the Blueberry Academy students with Hydrapple, Mightyena, Toucannon, Magmortor, Empoleon, Reuniclus, Whimsicott, Granbull, Flygon, and Haxorus)

(We see a smirking Cap from the Brave Olivine's bridge and Friede taking the wheel along with MK-1 on the Dragon Craft's Bridge at its controls with an eager bark, the three of them preparing to take everyone aboard their respective ships to new heights and continue discovering all the world has to offer among the horizons)

Now, head forth! Pierce through the clouds~
Stumbling, staggering~
Standing firm and reaching farther~
Now, run forth! Towards my future~

(In the horizons, with the heroes riding their respective ships, they dash forward with Lucius' Rayquaza roaring and flying alongside them before Liko, Roy, Dot, Murdock, and Ludlow are shown with their partners stumbling, running, or sliding along Rayquaza's body with Mollie, Chansey, and Orla following on Metagross and Sarah and Race tailing their new friends aboard Bolt and Winter with the rest of their family joining them before Marena and Stormcloud joined them. Meanwhile, Amethio is shown training with his Ceruledge and Corviknight with the former forced back by the latter and their master staggering to the floor and sitting on his ass from the intensity of the training battle. As his partners sparred, he gritted his teeth and tugged his shirt, feeling unsatisfied about the current progress he was making and wanting to do more to improve themselves and himself on something while Hamber and Dusknoir watched on)

At the end of this long, long journey
I'll remember you
One day, we'll shake hands
And laugh

(Lucca, Diana, and Liko were seen together with the final Terapagos in the young girl's arms who cried out and unleashed an energy wave, showing Moltres, Arboliva, and Rayquaza with the second half of the Six Heroes: Entei, Lapras, and Kleavor, in small bursts along with Lucius and Liko's Terapagos, before Sarah, Race, Liko, their Terapagos Four, Sprigatito, Rosie, Chili, Crest, Silvally, Tou-Tou, Robbie, and Bella along with a tearful Marena come across Lucius on a cliff point before they joined the Ancient Adventurer on his current spot)

A light appeared
At the end of the rainbow
And I found my dream

(We see the Explorers in short bursts along with a Tera Orb in Sarah's hand, Lucius' gear and records, one of the Terapagos Four in Stellar Form, and someone reaching out in between the heroes looking out to the horizon and the sun in the heavens before Sarah, Liko, Marena, and Race are seen face to face with the Six Heroes as the opening ends)

(End Theme Song)

---

Using the Stormwing Patroller the little princess asked the Dragonstone Patrol to send her, the heroes made their way to Alola, the superjet's sleek frame cutting through the sky as it came across Sarah and her family's home region. Sarah (who was standing on the bridge with MK-2 (who was called in to drive the jet)) could hardly contain her joy as her heart swelled with pride and excitement over seeing the familiar sight of her kingdom's islands in the distance, the sun's rays dancing on the ocean surface as it cast a golden hue across its vast expense.

She felt slightly disappointed about returning and only bringing the Rising Volt Tacklers for the trip because she also wanted to share Alola's beauty with Arven, Nemona, Penny, and the rest of the Paldea School Gang. But, with the upcoming school term coming up and their summer vacation coming to an end (coupled with the fact that many of them missed their families while they had been away), she understood why they decided to not stay with them until they would see her, Race, and Asha again until Uva Academy opens its doors to its students again.

Inside their shared room in the aircraft, Liko, Roy, Floragato, and Fuecoco watched with growing excitement as Alola came into view. The young adventurer was excited as he and Fuecoco leaned close to one of the windows they were looking out from, their breaths fogging the glass as the pair tried to make out every detail of the region. They became ecstatic as they saw various SeaWings swimming in the ocean below and minding their own business.

"Wow, Liko! Look at all those dragons swimming in the ocean!"

"They're so many!" gasped the pair at Liko and Floragato who joined them as they looked out from the window in front of them.

"Cool...!" Floragato breathed in awe.

"Sarah, those dragons we're seeing in the ocean, are they those SeaWings you told us about?" Liko asked after calling her best friend via her Rotom Phone and patching her call to Rotoscope.

"The very same, Liko; they and the rest of the Pyrrhia and Pantala Dragon Tribes live between here and Dragonstone. While I'm keeping things in order at Dragonstone, they help Mom and Dad make things easier here and keep Alola's peace intact. While we're not here for a social visit, I've wanted to show you guys my home region for a while, especially after meeting my friends living here and Ash," replied Sarah as the Stormwing Patroller descended to an open spot in one of the region's islands.

The closer the jet descended, the more Alola's vibrant colors became distinct from those of Galar and Paldea as Liko, Roy, and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers looked on in awe and fascination from their respective cabins; from the region's lush green forest, its ocean's deep blues, and the vibrant and energetic reds and yellows of its blooming flowers, Alola was a sight to behold. Even the gentle breeze blowing through their cabins' open windows carried the sweet scent of tropical blossoms and the ocean's salty aroma made their introduction to Sarah and her family's home all the more immersive.

"Look at that!"

"Crazy!" Floragato and Fuecoco cooed again in amazement as they looked out of their, Roy, and Liko's windows.

"Fun, fun, fun!" Terapagos chirped excitedly as he poked his head out of his, Liko, and Floragato's window and saw Alola fast approaching.

"Awesome view!" agreed Wattrel as he joined Fuecoco and Roy and saw Alola below them.

"Alola is so cool! This is nothing like my and Gramps' home in the Kanto Region! I wish we could spend a day or two here before we go to Uva Academy soon!" Roy said, feeling giddy.

"Me, too, it looks like a lot of fun!" agreed Liko.

"Well, we'll see. After we find the Dark Zords and secure them, we'll break for a bit before school starts again. I know you guys are gonna love it when we're through; Alola has a unique charm to it that the other regions just can't match," Sarah chuckled at them from Rotoscope.

On the bridge, Sarah smiled softly as she looked at her home island of Melemele, and to her surprise, not only did she see Kukui and Burnet (with Lei still in her arms) on the beach where their house was but she also saw Mallow, Lana, Lillie, Gladion, Kiawe, and Sophocles along with their Pokémon waving and cheering for her, her family, and the Rising Volt Tacklers once they saw the Stormwing Patroller coming down. Shockingly, Ash and Pikachu were also among them with Goh not present (since he had chosen to stay behind on account of homework (as he was a student at a school he and his childhood friend, Chloe, went to) or on an assignment for a research team responsible for finding Mew called Project Mew).

MK-2 happily barked three times as he nodded to her towards some new additions to their group; amazingly, they were joined by four Rainwings from Melemele Island's RainWing/LeafWing Village (and were actually Queen Glory's younger siblings who were the same height as her and the other Dragonstone queens (approximately 13 ft. tall, 45 ft. long, and having a wingspan of 60 ft.) - two boys and two girls, respectively):

- The first of her younger brothers was named Jambu (who had a vibrant raspberry-pink color to his scales and warm amber eyes) and the second was named Papaya (who was more bright and cheerful and sported yellow scales with hints of orange dotted on it)

- Her first younger sister was Bromeliad (who sported dark burgundy scales, scarlet flickers in her wing ruffs adorned with intricate and delicate flower petal patterns, and small blossoms around her horns) with her second younger sister and the youngest of the lot named Cassis (who sported deep and rich purple scales flecked with hints of blue resembling ripe cassis berries (the main inspiration for her name))

"Sarah!" Ash, Mallow, Lana, Kiawe, Sophocles, and Lillie cheered, laughing happily as they and their Pokémon came to Sarah as she, her family, and the Rising Volt Tacklers landed on the beach.

"Welcome home, Sarah!" Kukui grinned.

"Hey, Professors. Guys, what are you doing here? I thought Rotoscope only called Kukui and Burnet to let them know we're coming back and we'll be doing this alone, discreetly, I might add," the little princess replied in surprise.

"And, leave you all to deal with the Dark Zords you and Race found out about by yourselves? No way!" smirked Sophocles, raising a knowing eyebrow at his former classmate and close friend.

"You didn't forget our mantra as the Power Rangers Ultra Rescue when it comes to stuff like this, did you?" added Mallow, crossing her arms and sharing Sophocles' smirk.

"Rangers Forever, Defenders Together, right?" Lana grinned at her.

"You're gonna need more than just your family and the Rising Volt Tacklers to tame them."

"And, that's where we come in!" Kiawe and Ash concurred with knowing grins.

"With those Dark Zords you and Rotoscope mentioned, it meant that we have unfinished business with Team Eclipse. So, we thought it's time to deal with whatever remained of them one last time and put everything they did behind us by helping you save them from Lothor's last act to them," finished Lillie reassuringly.

"We know you all have your own dreams and passions to fulfill and you, Asha, and Race are preparing to return to Uva Academy. But, knowing what we're in for and we want to be rid of anything related to Lothor and Team Eclipse, we're going to help you end this matter and save those Wild Zords together," Kukui reassured with a knowing smile.

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess... There's no harm in bringing you all in for one final outing before our, Dot, Liko, and Roy's term at Uva Academy starts. We got time," Sarah replied, shrugging.

"Still, the fact that Lothor and Team Eclipse had their own fleet of Zord back-ups made out of Dark Zords is worrying."

"I can't believe we never bothered to find out where their base of operations was after we were done with them," Sophocles and Kiawe frowned.

"Yeah, I can't even imagine how it slipped our minds all this time. But, given the situation regarding the Dark Zords, I'd say there's no time like the present to find out where it is. And, I think I know who we should question first," the little princess sighed in agreement.

She then turned her attention to Glory's siblings and asked them, "Did our resident three fluffy old rabbits give you anything regarding their deceased team's hideout?"

"They're playing 'Hard to Get' and haven't cracked about that since you gave them to us and Big Sis. But, we're getting there," Jambu replied as Cassis showed her Mousey, Wolf, and Hakins still in their rabbit forms and inside a cage.

Mousey blew a defiant raspberry while Hakins raised his nose at her and turned away in a huff but Wolf instead barked, "Yeah, whatcha gonna do, missy? The exact local of the boss' base is off-limits to the likes of ya and your ranger posse. If you can't handle the fact that it's still private property belonging to Team Eclipse, that's your problem, see? Nya!"

Friede could only laugh as he saw what became of the three remaining members of Team Eclipse's Seven Sins, "Wow! So, it is true, Sarah; I never thought I'd say this but you really did turn them into mini lop bunnies!"

"Better you freaks than me," sniggered Cap, giving Wolf, Hakins, and Mousey a smug smirk while the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers could only chuckle or laugh their heads off at the trapped and transfigured foes.

"Now, that's what I call a lop bunny three-pack!" cackled Murdock.

"Oh, ha-ha-ha! Laugh all you want, morons, but we know where our old base is and you don't have a clue about it, nya-nya-n-nya-n-nya-nya!" taunted Hakins with a defiant sneer.

"Well, if you keep up your rabbit tantrums, you're telling me you're fine with being lop bunnies for the rest of your life. That's fine," Sarah sniffed causally.

"Cute, cute! That's a look of the day for them like mine!" Fluff cooed, giggling at the three lop bunnies.

"Soitenly not funny, bozos!"

"We've gotten worse than this; when we bust out of this prison, you dopes are gonna rue the day you messed with us and Team Eclipse!" snorted Mousey and Wolf in angered annoyance.

"Good luck with that," mocked Lana with a sly smirk.

"Too bad Sarah's not in the mood to pull off a Pinocchio on you. And, you betrayed and conspired against her family and everyone else you've hurt; you do the crime, you do the time. That's what they always say," Mallow taunted, sharing Lana's taunting smirk as they sneered at the captured trio.

"Shut up!" Wolf barked defiantly.

"I've heard that before last year and I'm getting sick of that song and dance routine you're doing, Wolf. But, my family and I are willing to be lenient with you since you and your pals are given a fate worse than death, something you'll have to live with for as long as we allow it. So, if you have any problems, be grateful we're taking the high road with you and take what you got coming for ya. Now, I'm going to ask you this once and we need answers: where is your base and where did you morons hide the Dark Zords?" Sarah demanded, not wanting Wolf, Mousey, and Hakins to do something stupid as she glared at them.

"Get a life and stay off of our property, catgirl!" Hakins snarked.

"Oh, is that what you want? Okay, then... If you care about your private property so much and don't want anybody touching it, why not have my family and I give you a little animal caretaker session involving RainWing Venom to improve your looks?" Bromeliad sneered, eyeing the lop bunny stooges with a sly smile.

"Or better yet, how about after we find your base, everything you and your bozos own in there, we and the princess and her family remake them as we please and sell them off? Of course, the Dark Zords are the only exception since she and her pals will gain custody by default," smirked Papaya.

"Unless you want to be part of my lunch first?" Cassis added, baring her teeth and glaring at them.

"AHH! No! No! Wait! We'll tell! We'll tell! Please don't eat us!" screamed Mousey and Hakins in fright as they held each other (even though RainWings are primarily vegetarians diet-wise).

"You dummies! I knew you'd squeal at some point! Pick out two!" Wolf snarled in disgust as he held his hands out, his pointer and tall-man stubs on his front paws facing Wolf and Mousey.

"One, two!" Mousey quipped as he pointed at his stubs and Wolf pulled a Three Stooges Double Zinger on them, making the pair let out a pained "OH!".

"That's better. Now, with the best 2/3, show us where your living quarters are," Race nodded, glaring and holding his wand toward them at the ready.

With Wolf outvoted and Mousey and Hakins scared into submission, the mini lop stooges led Jambu, Papaya, Cassis, Bromeliad, Ash, Gladion, the Rising Volt Tacklers, the Pokémon School Gang, Liko, Roy, Serrate, Char, Terapagos, Fuecoco, Wattrel, Floragato, Hatenna (who was still inside Liko's hoodie), Kukui, Burnet, Lazuli, Seiya, Mary, their Pokémon, Breeze, the Circle of Twelve, Sarah, her family, Dot, Quaxly, Tinkatink, Plume, Diancie, Kubfu, Glacial, and Haunterstrike walked through a dense and wild part of Melemele's forest foliage.

The little princess and her husband were at the front alongside the caged stooges, Jambu, Payapa, Cassis, and Bromeliad, keeping their eyes and ears open for a hidden passage Mousey and Hakins told them about that would lead them to their old base. As the heroes walked along the path Hakins and Mousey directed them to, they could hear the roars from the Dark Zords getting louder (making them realize that they were close to them and Team Eclipse's abandoned base).

"Princess?" Jambu asked, seeing them tense up from hearing the Dark Zords' roars as they momentarily stopped.

"The Dark Zords, we hear them..."

"They're coming from over there," they replied before Sarah stepped forward and gently pulled back a large trope of hanging vines before them and their group.

To the heroes' surprise, behind the vines was the entrance to Team Eclipse's abandoned headquarters in the form of a large door, the facility cleverly concealed in a secluded valley on the southern end of the island's central mountain area. It was nestled deep within the mountain's lush foliage embrace, hidden behind a dense grove of palm trees and accessible only by a narrow and winding path few would even dare to traverse.

Fluff was easily startled by the facility's ominous appearance after it was deserted and hidden by nature throughout the past year following Team Eclipse's demise and hid behind Tikki.

"Chill, Fluff, it's alright. Nobody's been here for a while, it can't hurt you," reassured the Kwami of Creation to the Kwami of Evolution.

Feeling like her daughter and son-in-law were onto something after finding the entrance, Delilah drew her sword and held it at her family's remaining enemies, demanding, "Alright, you three... My children found the doorway to your old facility and these Zords in your possession. Is this really it?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't have a bird, lady. It's there."

"This is definitely our base but it became like this after you numbskulls ran our entire syndicate to the ground with the end of our superiors and our troops," Hakins and Wolf huffed, seeing the deteriorated state of their syndicate's old headquarters.

"Whoa... Get a load of that."

"This is depressing," Sophocles and Lana commented, seeing how much of a mess the old base was.

The Electric Type and Water Type alumni were right; the black and neon green walls crumbled and they were overrun with vines and moss, broken windows revealed dark shadows of old machinery that hadn't been used in a long time, and the lights had seen better days as they would occasionally spark from long-term usage without anybody maintaining them until they would fall into disrepair. An eerie silence fell in the thick air, broken occasionally by the sound of leaves and distant calls of wild Pokémon.

"Yeah, even if it can be repaired, this will be too much work for any repair or construction team to handle," Plagg agreed with a solemn sigh.

"Gross."

"I'd hate to be the owner of that dump," Serrate and Char remarked.

"Sure has been a while since anybody's ever been in there, huh?" Murdock quipped.

"I doubt anybody would have much use for it in its current state given how dilapidated it has been throughout the previous year," Mollie concurred.

"Yeah... Kind of a shame, really; with some intense repairs, a complete overhaul of this dump's machinery and lights, a little feng shui here and there, and a new paint job, this old and rundown mechanical tub would make an excellent facility with a new purpose," Orla added.

"The color part, I would agree; maybe dump the black and neon green for yellow and purple, pink, all three...? I don't know, take your pick," Jambu stated, getting annoyed frowns from Hakins, Mousey, and Wolf over his color choices and how oblivious he was.

"Sarah, Race, did your visions tell you anything else about the Dark Zords last night?" Lillie questioned the young royal couple.

"Well, Lillie, as far as we know, not much. The only other thing we know is a message from the Solgaleo Ranger's spirit. He told us, 'Follow the cries and save the lives of the Forgotten Ones. After thinking about it, we realized that the Dark Zords we're looking for are the 'Forbidden Ones' he warned us about," Sarah replied until she and Race heard the echoing pained roars of the Dark Zords, making them wince a little as they were getting louder the closer they and the others are to them.

"Those poor Zords!"

"They're hurt!"

"We gotta save them!" Tot, Nano, and Mini fretted (as they and Liberty rejoined their family to help them and their friends save the Dark Zords).

"And, judging by how you winced from those wild roars upon the doors of our worst enemies of old, they're closer than we thought, right? Well, let's get it started!" Liberty quipped.

Tilting her head curiously, Stardust (in her Live Form) slowly trotted her way to the door. But, while she checked out the doorway, Mittens, Casper, Harley, Oreo, Frostbite, Verdantwing, Shadowhisper, Sparktail, Shadowfire, Solstice, Emberwing, and Incendia (also in their Live Forms) scouted the area for any lingering danger.

"Stardust, wait!" Lazuli gasped as she watched her mother's Palisman sniff and tap the door with her front right hoof, eventually opening it slightly (as it was unlocked from its dilapidated condition and rusty and worn-out lock that fell apart).

"Uh-oh, somebody looking after or running away from the place before and following Team Eclipse's destruction forgot to lock the door," blinked a surprised Mary as the ivy and grime-covered door opened with an ominous creak.

"Hey, they did. Come here, girl, good work," added Seiya, sharing his wife's surprise before he called Stardust back and she trotted back to her owners.

"I don't like the look of that pathway, me no likie," Fuecoco gulped nervously as he looked down the dimly lit corridor before the heroes.

"Yeah, that thing gives me the heebie-jeebies just by looking at it," Floragato agreed, bracing herself for what was inside the corridor and on the other side as she readied her yo-yo-like flower.

"It's s-s-s-so...s-s-s-scary-looking," shivered Tinkatink, clutching her hammer in fear of what was inside.

"But, it's the only way to those Dark Zords the princess and her husband told us about before we even came here," Quaxly reminded.

"Yeah, no point in finding out where they are if we don't go in there and honeycomb this dump," Wattrel agreed, eager to go inside.

"He's got a point," Bella noted with Robbie nodding in agreement to Wattrel's words.

"Quaxly, too," Curly pointed out as she stayed close to her mate.

"Well, Mom, let's go," Blitz said, getting a knowing nod from Sarah before she nodded at Race, the pair going inside while the others followed.

Slowly, they entered the corridor with Sarah, Race, and Tsukumaro using Lumos to light the way and Cap helping to give off more light with his electricity, all feeling the stale and heavy air around them laced with the scent of damp earth and decay on the way to the main area and where the Dark Zords are held. Everywhere they looked in the corridor, they could see it lined with various doors (some of them ajar which revealed rooms clustered with rusty old equipment, shattered screens, and remnants of abandoned technology).

It even branched off to various other rooms, making it a sprawling underground network of additional corridors and chambers, each more disorientating than the last.

"Whoa..."

"No way..."

"Creepy..."

"Scary...!" Liko, Roy, Floragato, and Fuecoco quipped as they felt uneasy about the base's foreboding and ominous interior.

"Who knew your uncle could be such a nut while running this place, Sarah?"

"He's definitely a cuckoo madman if he was able to afford running this joint while having his eye on you," muttered Dot and Quaxly, sharing their friends' uneasy feelings about the place.

"Uh, Sarah...? Are you, okay...with, well...being here? You know, after all this time... Since, you and your friends...stopped your uncle, and ended him...and his syndicate?" Liko asked her best friend, being as gentle as she could since Sarah didn't say a word after they and the others entered his and Team Eclipse's base.

Sarah was silent but after a moment, she sighed and replied, "...I don't know. It's, just, well... It's not as easy as I'd hoped; just...going through this place and thinking how it belonged to my uncle and Team Eclipse... It made me think back to everything they did to kill me so Lothor could claim the throne for himself. This brought me back to my parents' coronation and when he first tried to smuggle me out of Alola and frame them... He was jealous of me when I was born and he felt cheated when I was to be my parents' heir so..."

Doug shuddered a little as he held his forehead and thought back to that fateful day, Delilah holding him gently as she also remembered the tragedy of the event. It was clear they were still hurt by Lothor's jealousy and betrayal and the thought of them nearly losing their daughter because of him still haunted them to this day.

Seeing how they were still reeling from the near-loss of their daughter and heir to the throne in Alola, David and Donna (former queen) comforted them as best they could while the former continued on their and Sarah's behalf, "...It's a day they would not want to remember. The thought of losing their child and heir, our granddaughter, because of the man who was once our eldest son... It still haunts us within our family to this day. We were lucky Tsukumaro was with us and he stopped him from carrying out his plan, exposing him in the process, but if things had been different..."

"He tried to smuggle our granddaughter out of Alola to have her killed but he was caught and banished from the kingdom. But, he returned some time later after forming Team Eclipse and unleashed his hatred and jealousy of our little heir upon us which led us to where we are now..." Donna (former queen) added solemnly.

"Whoa, really?"

"When did that happen?" gasped Liko and Roy in astonishment.

"...This is all my fault. I should've been more considerate about his love for me before Doug proposed. If only I'd found out we'd be locked in a love triangle and put our love for each other to him gently," Delilah sighed solemnly, getting a comforting hug back from her husband.

The Rising Volt Tacklers were silent for a moment as they took in what Doug told them until Friede, Cap, Mollie, Orla, and Murdock voiced their thoughts, "Wow, I never thought Team Eclipse got its start from a love triangle and a broken heart made all the more painful by Sarah's birth."

"Nasty."

"...A real case of tough luck and ill-placed love, huh?"

"I know you told us this before but just thinking about it now with that context..."

"...That bad, huh?"

"It was made worse since he betrayed our family on my old friends' wedding day, the same day when they would become Alola's last king and queen," Tsukumaro sighed.

Dot, Liko, and Roy looked at each other with concern while Friede and Cap exchanged winced glances and quipped, "Geez, not the kind of day of royal remembrance you've been hoping for, huh?"

"Sorry..."

"Same here."

"I can't imagine the pain you all went through after that monster backstabbed you for his own needs," Metagross and Chansey added sadly.

"... We're sorry," Hu Hu solemnly replied, the other Renlings nodding in agreement as they didn't want to imagine the lengths Lothor went to carry out his plans and what he would've done had Sarah and her friends not ended him and his syndicate for good.

"...I never thought your uncle would go so far to have you killed off for good," Dot muttered, feeling unnerved by what she and her friends were told.

"...Wow, I never would've guessed how horrible this Team Eclipse was but after hearing this and what Lothor was going to do to her and her family... No wonder Sarah was under so much pressure to protect her family and to protect Roy and I and the rest of us now," Liko thought, feeling sympathetic and sad for her best friend.

"All of this makes me wonder who's worse: Team Eclipse or the Explorers," Roy commented as he and Fuecoco looked at some discarded blueprints of a bit of machinery related to Team Eclipse's plans.

"Super creepy," Fuecoco gulped nervously as the heroes finally arrived at the facility's main briefing room.

"Whoa..." the heroes gasped in stunned awe of the area before they began to look for the entrance to where the Dark Zords were held.

"I don't like the look of this place," shivered Turtonator as he and Pyroar examined one end of the room with Tsareena, Shaymin, and Snowy.

"Dude," Sandy agreed.

The briefing room was a vast and cavernous chamber shrouded in darkness, left derelict and damp after Team Eclipse's destruction and to the elements of nature. Its walls, lined with reinforced steel, are slick with moisture and the air in the area was thick with an unsettling stillness. And, its dim florescent lights flickered overhead, casting long shadows across the floor that showed the remnants of a high-security containment facility that had since fallen into disrepair.

However, they didn't need to look far or for long for the Dark Zords because after they found a hidden corridor on the northeastern corner of the room, they went inside and found themselves in a large research laboratory that held three enormous containment units dominating the space in it (each unit specifically designed to contain a Zord). Constructed from transparent and reinforced polymer (which was now clouded and scratched from years of neglect), it allowed glimpses of whatever creatures were inside them (the Dark Zords in this case).

The Dark Zords contained in the containment units were as follows:

- the Dark Griffin Zord stood 45 meters long and 25 meters high, having been perched on a ledge it was standing on in its unit, its feathers tattered and its giving an ominous glow

- next to it was the Dark Unicorn Zord standing 35 meters long and 20 meters high, having a jagged horn, a twisted black mane, a black body, and black hooves with its eyes giving off a sinister crimson glow

- at the far end of the laboratory was the largest of the three, the Dark Dragon Zord (inspired by Farosh of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom), looming in its unit and sporting jagged black scales and burning red eyes at a colossal 70 meters in length and 30 meters in height, spreading its torn wings that emitted dark energy

The heroes gasped at the sight of the imprisoned Dark Zords as Ash could only let out, "What are those things?!"

"It's the Dark Zords!" replied Sarah, sharing Ash's horror.

"What's happened to them?!"

"This is terrible!" Mallow and Lillie cried in horrified alarm at the Dark Zords as they banged against the containment units holding them (all of them barely having enough power to prevent them from breaking free).

"Creepy, they're about as black as a NightWing's scales," gulped Papaya as his scales turned lime green (symbolizing his species' spectrum of fear).

"I don't like this," shivered Bromeliad, her scales sharing the RainWing fear spectrum.

"Not cool," Cap grunted, feeling incredibly uneasy.

"They don't look very friendly, do they?" peeped Rockruff as he let out a cautious growl while staying close to Murdock.

"I never thought they could have such frightening power after what Lothor and Team Eclipse did to them," Friede gawked in shocked fascination.

"Amazing... This is almost like what Lothor did to Spherialla's first sons when he carried out his revenge years ago," Dot breathed as she and the others did their best to keep a good distance from the Dark Zords, seeing them emit the same dark mist that overtook Angietus and Pathangle.

"Is that true, Spherialla?" Mollie asked the original creator of Alola's guardians.

"Yes... It's still something that haunts me to this day and seeing these Dark Zords as they are now makes me shudder while thinking back to the night I lost my boys," Spherialla replied, feeling very queasy about the Dark Zords making her recall the darkest part of her life.

"Well, at least we found them. Maybe Team Eclipse forgot about using them after they were confident in using their other resources including the PokeMechas and that big Storm Bird Zord they once made with Dr. Zin during your adventure with the Quest Team," Roy theorized.

"Maybe... Now, the only question is: how are we going to purify them?" Liko nodded, wondering what they were going to do.

"...There is a way and it involves my Element of Hope but it's still a gamble," Sarah said, trying to not getting her hopes up too high.

"...Another gamble, huh?" Murdock echoed, also not wanting to ride on premature hope.

"So, you'll have to rely on using your Element of Hope to turn these bad boys back into their normal selves, right? That's going to take a leap of fate on your part without them breaking out and pummeling you on sight soon after, Sarah," noted Orla.

"But, when there's a will, there's a way. And, we don't have any other options so anything's worth a try; sometimes, the best way to handle problems like these is to face them head-on. Go on, Sarah, try out your Element and see how it goes with the Forbidden Ones," Ludlow replied sagely, encouraging the little princess to move forward with her gamble.

Sarah nodded in response to Ludlow's encouragement and took a deep breath before she brought out her Element of Hope, saying, "Okay, here goes..."

She then placed it on her head, returning to her Alicorn Form (and surprising the Rising Volt Tacklers since they didn't know how she looked as an Alicorn let alone a pony). With everyone else standing back and getting ready to fight should the gamble fail, Sarah carefully stepped forward and faced the Dark Zords as they continued to ram their containment units from the inside. Their shared persistence in breaking out of their prisons was slowly paying off as small cracks began to appear from their respective window screens, the mechanical devices weakening by the hour despite having enough power to hold them in place.

The little princess looked between the three Dark Zords as she prepared to purify them the only way she knew how. But, she also knew that she had to make haste given how she was running out of time and they could break out of their containment units at any given moment.

Taking another deep breath, she concentrated her magic and honed it into her Element before declaring, "From one heartbeat to another, love grows without end! Hear me, my Cutie Mark, come to life and spread the message of love and hope that I send!"

When she finally channeled all of her magic to her Element of Hope and it was at full strength, she let out a powerful roar and unleashed a Rainbow of Light that struck the Forgotten Ones when they were just about to break out of their prisons. The Dark Zords screeched and roared in pain, thrashing about as they tried to resist the Rainbow of Light's power. But, despite their best efforts, from within their bodies, wisps of darkness from Lothor's corruption of them were forcibly extracted and eradicated and they were returned to their original forms:

- the once twisted horn from the Unicorn Zord's demonic form was now straightened and it gleamed with a pristine white hue, its silver mane now flowing freely (as if it was cascading like a waterfall) and its body now snowy white with golden hooves to match its sheen

- the majestic feathers of the Griffin Zord regained their vibrant colors, transforming from their dull and muted coloration to those of a rich gold and white tapestry (with its head feathers becoming a striking snowy white that contrasted with its warm golden amber body and matching gold eyes). What's more, its hindlegs and paws mirrored its golden hue and its lion tail ended in a soft brown fur tuff

- but, while equally breathtaking, the Dragon Zord was more distinct; its wings (which were created and in tune with its Dark Zord form) shattered and it began to float in its containment unit like a Chinese dragon, showing off its scales as they regained a dazzling luster of white and gold and its cloudy eyes cleared to reveal a beautiful shade of amber from underneath. The claws it sported (having three pairs in total with four claws on its upper body and two claws at the back) glistened like polished gold and it had a jagged horn shaped like a lightning bolt that had what looked like a glowing yellow-green Zonai Secret Stone hanging from it down the middle of its face (so it wouldn't obscure its vision) via a golden ring brace on the base of the horn

The former Dark Zords (having been returned to their normal forms thanks to Sarah's magic) snorted in surprise, all three of them looking around as they were startled by being free from their menacing forms. They soon felt a powerful essence of magic in the lab until they looked down and found Sarah standing in front of them, seeing her catching her breath from the heavy use of her Alicorn magic and taking off her Element of Hope, returning to her human form (which took them by surprise as their eyes widened at her transformation).

The Forgotten Ones snorted and cawed in bewilderment at the young human that saved them and growled anxiously as she approached their respective containment units and released them. They quickly bailed out of their near-shattered prisons as they growled at her, wondering what she would do with them now that they were free since they got a bad impression of humans after Lothor corrupted them and turned them into the Dark Zords they once were.

"Calm down, you three. It's all good. There's no need for you to be afraid anymore," Sarah soothed as she gently approached them.

"Be careful!" Orla warned, hoping the freed Wild Zords wouldn't take offense to her noble act of kindness.

The three Wild Zords blinked and purred quietly as they tilted their heads at the little princess, prompting her to continue sweetly, "That's right, I'm your friend. You're all free now; I know my uncle's corruption made you into killing machines before but he's gone now and you won't have to worry about falling into darkness again. But, just to be sure, are you three the only ones in this lab, nobody else?"

The Unicorn, Dragon, and Griffin Zords nodded in confirmation and gratitude, getting happy smiles from her family and friends and amazing the Rising Volt Tacklers as Liko, Roy, and Dot breathed, "Whoa..."

"Wow, Sarah, that was awesome! You saved them!"

"So... Now that you freed them from your uncle's lingering grasp, Sarah, what should we do with them?"

"Well, since the Forgotten Ones are freed and every last trace of Team Eclipse has been wiped out of existence, I was thinking of sending them to the Celestial Sanctuary where they would be safe. I did want them to be brought to the Animarium in Turtle Cove but I don't know how Princess Shayla, Red Lion, and the other Wild Zords would take their presence in. So, if nothing else, the Celestial Sanctuary's the best chance we got of giving them a home."

"That sounds like the best idea given what they went through. But, that also leaves us with this derelict and abandoned facility we're in now; what are we supposed to do with it now that Team Eclipse and Lothor are history?" Friede reminded.

"I haven't gotten that far yet but I'll see if we can make plans to restore and renovate it into something more appropriate for my family's kingdom."

"Ooh, ooh, ooh! I know, I know! I know! Pick me, pick me, pick me, pick me, pick me, pick me, pick me, pick me, pick m-!" Jambu blurted out eagerly before Cassis muffled his mouth to get him to shut up.

"Okay, we get it! Let the princess address you first before you make us castrate our ears, alright?!" she snapped, annoyed.

Sarah sighed before she smiled at Jambu and asked him, "Okay, Jambu, what do you want to do with this dump?"

After getting Cassis to let go of his mouth, Jambu grinned and cheerfully proposed, "Well, I'm thinking of changing this dumpster fire into a brand new dragon or animal sanctuary or maybe remake it into a hotel hut for the RainWing Village, a hospital! Oh, wait, no, no! What about a new big hatchery for Pokémon, animal, and dragon eggs?"

"Oh, great! So you knuckleheads want to wipe out everything we and our team worked on for family-friendly gigs, eh? Well, good luck trying to nag us into helping you turn it on its head 'cause we're not helping!" Wolf snorted.

"How come you're not using your head to break us out of this snore-fest, pal?" Mousey griped at him.

"Iamusing my head, I'm thinking!"

"That's right, he's a big thinker. If he already had the plan of the day to bail us out and stop them from ruining our old home, we'd be home free and swimming in moolah," Hakins grunted, knowing they still had no chance of escaping their current fate.

"Don't get smart, long ears!" Wolf spat at his and Mousey's partner.

"Your loss, our gain, Moe, Larry, and Curly-Joe; your so-called home and Wild Zords now belong to us by default with your syndicate and leader T-O-A-S-T. And, you're living with us and Mom from now on so get used to it," Bromeliad snorted in their faces.

"I'll say, no more custody rights for you given what you creeps had done," agreed Papaya.

"Well, now that the Wild Zords are with us and in our possession... Since school's already on the horizon, who's ready for an Alolan summer vacation send-off?!" Sarah interjected, grinning as everybody said "Me!", "I do!", and "Yeah!".

"Let's party!"

"Uh, yeah, sure... Party," Liko, Roy, and Dot cheered (the young recluse still feeling less enthusiastic unlike her friends over the prospect of fun).

"And, speaking of send-offs, Sarah, I know just the Superpower to get you, Race, Asha, Liko, Roy, and Dot ready for your upcoming school term at Uva Academy!" Kukui offered with a knowing grin.

---

Later that day, after sending the Forgotten Ones to their new home (i.e. the Celestial Sanctuary), the heroes gathered with all of Alola at the Battle Royal Dome for a special Battle Royal featuring Kukui, Gladion, Kiawe, and Sarah (with the Alolan Professor throwing the match in all guns blazing for old times' sake and to give her, her sister, her husband, Dot, Roy, and Liko a proper sendoff before they would return to Paldea and attend Uva Academy for the school's Terastal Course). Sarah was delighted by the offer and Silvally wanted to join in but she decided to battle with Blitz this time given the occasion (which the Synthetic Pokémon understood).

While the little princess, Kiawe, Gladion, and Kukui took their places in the arena and prepared to head out, Liko, Roy, Dot, the Rising Volt Tacklers, Diancie, Kubfu, Glacial, and Haunterstride sat with the audience along with Hala, Nanu, Hapu, Olivia, Principal Oak, Rotom-Dex, Burnet and Lei, Hau and his Decidueye, Lusamine, Mohn, and Team Skull (including Guzma, Plumeria, Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp). As for her old team, they were sitting in front of them with the rest of her family (with Sarah enchanting them with Orion and Orchard's size-changing ability to fit them all in the dome).

Thankfully, during her, Asha, and Race's time away, Guzma and Team Skull hadn't been causing any more trouble for everyone in Alola since the Alola League.

"Yeah, look at this place! The Battle Royal Dome's packed!"

"It's totally full but it's no surprise given who's battling who!" Ash and Mallow cheered excitedly.

"You're right, that's because the royal half of our Alola Champions is coming back!" Lillie grinned.

"You're telling me, I didn't know how popular battles like this are here."

"Yeah! This is gonna be so awesome, I can't wait to see what a Battle Royal looks like!" Liko and Roy remarked.

"Do Battle Royals draw in such crowds every time they happen?" Dot asked, feeling a little claustrophobic over the amount of people gathering to watch the upcoming Battle Royal.

"So exciting!"

"Yeah, here we go!" Lana and Sophocles chirped ecstatically as the Battle Royal was about to begin.

"No fair... I get why Mom wanted to fight alongside Thunder Man but I wanted to fight in it," Silvally pouted, feeling a little disappointed that he wouldn't join the Battle Royal this time.

"Come on, Ani, Ms. Sarah won the Alola League with Cousin Blitz and they beat Tapu Koko during the exhibition match last year. It makes sense for them to do this together, you'll get another chance to do the Battle Royal when we get back during a school break," Tou-Tou reassured, gently nudging his brother.

"It's just as fun if a cool cat like you is watching this whole battle dance number front and center. Speaking of which, it'll make a great movie to show the gang back in Paldea! Shame they can't be here to enjoy the show with school coming back into play, though," Rotoscope chuckled as he began to record the event.

"Well, that's how the school ball rolls in Paldea," remarked Cocoa as she sat with Race.

As was before with the previous match against Viren and the Ravengers, Jessie, James, and Meowth eagerly took their old places as announcers for the Battle Royal. And, to sweeten the deal, the entire audience was greeted by Wicke and Faba (both wearing Battle Royal referee sports attire for the occasion) who would kick off the introductions to the Battle Royal's four competitors.

"Alola, everybody!" they greeted happily.

"Alola!" the audience called back.

"I can't hear you!" Faba grinned encouragingly.

"ALOLA!"

"You can do better than that!" smiled Wicke, adding to the audience's cheers.

"ALOLA!"

"I've always wanted to do that," Faba sniffed sentimentality as he teared up.

"Never better," Wicke agreed before the pair composed themselves and began the introductions, "Welcome one and all from all over Alola and the far reaches of the world! Today, we bring you a special Battle Royal featuring the royal half of our very first Alola League Champions!"

"My name is Faba, your referee and fanatic of Battle Royals, and of course, the Masked Royal!"

"I'm Wicke and I'll be refereeing, too! And, now, it gives us great pleasure to introduce you to our four competing trainers in this honorary Battle Royal of the Year! To start, our main woman leading these heavy hitters is...our region's little princess and full-out Alola Champion and her Pikachu of extraordinary talent, Sarah Tomoe and Blitz!"

A spotlight shone down upon Sarah and Blitz from the Haxorus Corner as they waved to the crowd, appreciating their people's warm reception of their return.

"Well, buddy, we haven't done this in a while so let's show them what we've learned while in Uva Academy, okay?" Sarah asked her Pikachu son.

"You got it, Mom!" Blitz smirked, readying himself as they waited for Kukui, Kiawe, and Gladion to make their entrances.

"As for our second contestant, you know him, you love him, it is Alola's one and only Masked Royal! He is also the founder of the Alola Pokémon League of which Princess Sarah and her fellow competitor and lovable twerp, Ash Ketchum, hailed from as Joint League Champions! And, he and his partner continue to burn the house down with their displays of fiery battling excellence! Presenting for your battling pleasure, Professor Kukui and Incineroar!" James (Team Rocket) proudly announced as a spotlight shone upon Kukui and his Incineroar, prompting the crowd to go nuts over the return of the man behind the Masked Royal and his Heel Pokémon on the Gyarados Corner.

"And, up next, our third competitor and his chosen partner hail from the island of Akala, a Kahuna-in-Training with hearts of fire and nerves of steel! Here is...Kiawe and Marowak!" Faba (despite his continued fanboying over Kukui and his alter ego through Incineroar) continued as he directed everyone to Kiawe and his family's Alolan Marowak on the Charizard Corner, the latter spinning his bone with pride as he readied himself to fight.

"And, finally, to wrap up our introduction to our leading competitors, one of our region's top trainers AND semifinalist of the Alola League with a rock solid footing in the power of family togetherness and the recent addition to his family: Gladion and Nihilego Lillie!" Jessie cheered as a final spotlight shone on Gladion and his and Lillie's younger Ultra Beast sister (who would be participating in her first-ever Battle Royal) on the Tyranitar Corner.

Mallow, Lana, and Sophocles were shocked to see her in the field as they balked at Lillie (who gave her sister a proud smile), "Your sister's battling today?!"

"That's right! Gladion, Bones, Lycanroc, and Umbreon have been helping her learn how Pokémon battles, the Island Challenge, and Battle Royals work since we welcomed her to the family following our adventure to find and bring back Father from the Crown Tundra. She was a fast learner and she's become quite the fighter in her own right since then. And, now, after finding out that Sarah returned even if it was only to find Race's Zords and the Celestial Sanctuary before school starts at Uva Academy, she wanted to see if she could match up to her and her family," replied Lillie, her proud smile still on her face.

"That's so cool; Nihilego Lillie and Gladion in a free-for-all with Professor Kukui, Incineroar, Kiawe, Marowak, Blitz, and Sarah!" Lana smirked in admiration, her eyes twinkling with delight and anticipation.

"This is it, Brother. Are you ready to go?" Nihilego Lillie asked as she and Gladion entered the field (with the Silvally Ranger thinking back to when he, his team, and Bones were training by themselves and she saw them at work, becoming inspired to become a formidable Pokémon/Ultra Beast in her own right to not only prove herself to her family and friends but also to protect her loved ones should anybody with malicious intent try to hurt them).

He nodded in agreement and declared, "Let's show everyone and Sarah how far you've come since you joined our family, sister!"

"Right!"

"So, Lillie and Gladion's sister is in the fray this time, huh? I don't think we should expect anything less from them along with Kukui, Marowak, Incineroar, and Kiawe, right, Mom?" Blitz smirked, anxious to see Nihilego Lillie's fighting prowess.

"Yeah, I always knew we'd end up battling her at some point after Gladion told us how he, his Lycanroc and Umbreon, Silvally's older brother, and Bones inspired her while they were training. This will be an interesting Battle Royal," Sarah agreed, impressed at seeing her best friend's Ultra Beast sister on the field.

"We have gathered some amazing top-tier trainers in our Battle Royal bonanza!"

"Memories of heroic twerps and lovable goofballs that go beyond the call of duty are made of this, for sure, people!"

"And, with that said, it's time for the Battle Royal to...get underway!" Jessie, Meowth, and James (Team Rocket) finished with beaming smiles as James rang the bell to begin the Battle Royal.

The signal given, Blitz, Nihilego Lillie, Incineroar, and Marowak entered the ring with Sarah making the first call to kick things off, "Okay, Blitz, let's power up with Focus Punch on Incineroar!"

"Yeah! Hey, here I come!" smirked Blitz as he charged at Goodra and Aqua's old rival and prepared to give him a powerful haymaker with Focus Punch.

"Incineroar, use Bulk-Up!" Kukui called to his Heel Pokémon.

"POWER!" Incineroar bellowed, increasing his Physical Attack and Physical Defense stats so he could counter his opponents easily.

"Whoo-hoo! That's the kind of calm thinking we expected from the Masked-oop, uh, I mean, Professor Kukui!" Faba gushed, hastily correcting himself as Wicke gave him a side glance over his continued fanboying for Kukui and Incineroar.

"Marowak, give Blitz your Iron Head!" Kiawe smirked, having his family's Alolan Bone Pokémon charge at Sarah's Pikachu boy with Iron Head.

"Not so fast, Kiawe! Blitz, switch to Counter!" Sarah shouted, having Blitz take notice of Marowak and stopping just in time before he jumped over him (knowing his Fighting Type move was ineffective against the Fire/Ghost Dual Type).

"Now, Lillie, use Venoshock!" Gladion ordered, seeing his and his Ultra Beast sister's chance.

"Here goes nothing! Poison Time~!" Nihilego Lillie giggled as she aimed and fired her Venoshock attack at Blitz.

"Mom?!" gasped Blitz in alarm.

"Look out, Blitz! Stop it with your Iron Tail Tornado!" his human mother cried, allowing him to counter Venoshock with Iron Tail as he spun around and saved himself from being poisoned.

"Whoa!"

"Roy, Dot! Did you guys see that?!"

"Blitz countered Lillie's Venoshock attack by using Iron Tail while spinning!" Dot, Liko, and Roy gasped in shocked amazement, astounded by Blitz's creative block (with Hatenna sharing her mother's amazement as she peeked from behind her on her hoodie).

"You go, Blitz! Smash 'em!"

"Yeah! Go, Blitz, you got this!"

"Give it to 'em, Blitz! Cleave 'em to the brisket!" screamed Quaxly, Floragato, and Fuecoco excitedly as Serrate, Plume, Char, Tinkatink, Wattrel, Terapagos, Larmina, Garnet, Topaz, and the Brave Olivine's Pokémon and dragons cheered along or stared in fascination and intrigue.

"Looks like there's gonna be a wild competition on all fronts and I can't get enough of it!"

"They sure know their stuff even though the Battle Royal's only just started."

"I've never seen anything like it, this kind of Pokémon battle is so AWESOME!" Murdock, Mollie, and Orla grinned broadly from their seats.

"Sarah's really going at it with her old friends and former teacher from the Pokémon School! Now, I'm beginning to see why she and Ash won the Alola League and she became the Alola Champion!" Friede smirked.

"What a show!" agreed Cap, sharing Friede's impressed smirk.

"Incineroar, use Darkest Lariat!"

"Blitz, Reflect!" Kukui and Sarah bantered with Incineroar using his signature move as Blitz came down before he countered his powerful Fire Type opponent with Reflect (the two of them smirking at each other as they mentally vowed to go all out with Marowak and Lillie).

"Ooh, close save by our favorite princess twerp, ladies and germs! Incineroar's Darkest Lariat has been foiled by Blitz's Reflect just when it was about to hit!" Jessie commentated, beaming from ear to ear.

"Hey, wait a minute, I just realized something," Liko puzzled curiously, getting Dot and Roy's attention as they turned to her. "Why is it that Lillie's sister, Incineroar, and Kiawe's Marowak are all going after Blitz and not each other?"

"Hey, you're right... Is this really a Battle Royal?" Dot pondered worriedly.

"Sarah's the strongest trainer amongst us in our class; she's the overall powerhouse between her, Kiawe, Gladion, and Prof. Kukui on the field and the other three want to take her out first before they target each other next."

"That's right; any trainer and Pokémon pair team from either side can attack one another without warning intensity... That's what a Battle Royal is all about," Sophocles and Lillie explained to them and Roy, surprising them as they watched Lillie, Incineroar, and Marowak begin to gang up on Blitz before they have a go at each other.

"Lillie, use Meteor Beam!"

"Marowak, use Flare Blitz!"

"Incineroar, use Darkest Lariat!" Gladion, Kiawe, and Prof. Kukui signaled, having Nihilego Lillie, Incineroar, and Marowak prepare to take Blitz out in a group assault before they set their sights on each other after they were through with him.

"Here they come, Blitz! Show them your improved speed using Quick Attack!" Sarah commanded.

"Got it!" agreed Blitz as he charged forward, managing to dodge each hit thrown at him via Meteor Beam, Darkest Lariat, and Flare Blitz despite Nihilego Lillie, Incineroar, and Marowak's best efforts. "Missed me~!"

"So fast!" Kukui, Gladion, and Kiawe gasped in surprise, seeing how much faster Blitz had gotten during his and his family's time at Uva Academy and Paldea as he pulled an about-face and charged at Marowak, Nihilego Lillie, and Incineroar again (prompting them to call out their next attacks). "Use Shadow Ball/Psyshock/Bulk-Up!"

"You can do it, Uncle Blitzy!"

"Wring them good and hang them out to dry!"

"Take 'em down!" cheered Rosie, Chili, and Crest as they jumped on their seats.

"Oh, be careful!" Curly called to her mate as her mother-in-law and father-in-law (Donna (Blitz's mother) and Sirius, respectively) comforted her while they watched Blitz avoid his old friends' Shadow Ball and Psyshock attacks.

"Force Blitz to stop, Incineroar!" Kukui bellowed as he and his partner braced themselves for Blitz's assault.

"Come at me, Kid! I'm ready!" Incineroar dared with a smirk, preparing to stop Blitz dead in his tracks as he came closer until...

"Charm plus Focus Punch!" Sarah jabbed cheekily.

"WHAT THE-?"

"Oh, no!" Incineroar and Kukui gawked, not expecting Quick Attack to be a feint for the pair.

"Psyche!" Blitz taunted, smirking at the Heel Pokémon as he used Charm to lower his Physical Attack Stats and pushed him back hard with Focus Punch. "Come on! Is that all you got?"

"Ooh! What a trap for Prof. Kukui and Incineroar to fall into; our princess and Blitz made them waste a good Bulk-Up opportunity by faking them out with Quick Attack and a surprise combo of Charm and Focus Punch! That's gonna leave a mark on them and their pride, folks!" James (Team Rocket) announced as the crowd cheered for Blitz and Sarah.

Friede couldn't but laugh in amazement as he commented, "So, she had Blitz use Charm to lower Incineroar's Physical Attack Stats at the last minute before socking him with a super effective Focus Punch! What an outrageous strategy!"

"And, creative, too; I never would've thought of using Quick Attack as a feint to make anybody drop their guard," Mollie beamed, impressed.

"That's for sure; Sarah's always thinking one step ahead whenever she and anybody from her family battle," Orla nodded.

Murdock grinned as he commented, "That princess got both spunk and skill to take on Lillie's sister, Marowak, and Incineroar at once with strategies like that."

"Way to go, you two, you showed them!" Rockruff barked.

"Go, Blitz! Go, Sarah! It's your birthday, it's your birthday!" Maushold, Carkol, Slugma, Muk (Alola Form), Polteageist, Sinistea, and Shuckle chanted, cheering for their crew's royal friends.

"YAY, YAY!"

"BLITZ, SARAH!" cheered Roggenrola, Timburr, and Woobat.

"You've powered up even more, huh, Sarah?" Kukui joked.

"I have Nemona and her love for battling to thank for that with our friendly educational bouts throughout the previous term at Uva Academy! And, why are you two slowing down on me? We were just getting warmed up," Sarah grinned in reply.

"We're waiting~!" Blitz smirked in agreement, daring Incineroar, Kukui, Kiawe, Marowak, Gladion, and Nihilego Lillie to come at them again.

Gladion and Kiawe shared Sarah and Blitz's smirks as they replied, "You're not alone on that."

"We're doing the same thing for old time's sake!"

"JUST LIKE YOU!"

Then, the Fire Type Alumni made the next move as he and Gladion prepared to go at the pair together, "Marowak, use Shadow Bone!"

"Lillile, Venoshock!" Gladion added as Marowak and Nihilego Lillie readied Shadow Bone (jumping into the air as he prepared to make his mark) and Venoshock for a pair team assault.

"I'm ready for you this time, Mr. Blitz! Target locked...! ...Fire!" Nihilego Lillie shouted, firing her Venoshock attack at Sarah's Alolan Mouse Pokémon.

"Now, Incineroar, Blast Burn!" Kukui ordered, having his partner follow up with one of his most powerful Fire Type attacks as he unleashed Blast Burn.

"Rising Voltage, let's go!" Sarah countered, having Blitz use Rising Voltage on the ground to strike Marowak (preventing him from using Shadow Bone), puncture through Incineroar's Blast Burn, and shock Nihilego Lillie (while also canceling her Venoshock attack) before they could finally hit him. "Now, use Electroweb!"

"Coming down!" Blitz smirked again as he jumped in the air and fired Electroweb to try and trap his three opponents.

"Dodge it, quick!" Kiawe, Gladion, and Kukui screamed as Nihilego Lillie and Marowak dodged Blitz's Electrowebs meant for them only for Incineroar to be slow on the draw and be captured in the final Electroweb attack.

"Now give Incineroar a Thunderpunch!" Blitz nodded and divebombed towards Incineroar, narrowing his eyes and readying his Thunderpunch attack as...

"Incineroar, use Throat Chop!"

"Right, urgh! HYYYYYAAAAAH!" Incineroar boomed, breaking out of the Electroweb and countering Thunderpunch with Throat Chop (which Blitz was ready for as he knew he could break out and fight back instantaneously) as electricity and dark energy crackled from their combined powers.

"Use Iron Head while he's distracted!" Kiawe called, allowing his family's Marowak to finally land a hit on Blitz while he wasn't looking.

"AAUGH!" Blitz screamed as he was tripped up.

"Use Throat Chop, over and over!"

"Focus Thunderpunch, go!"

Straightening himself up, Blitz countered and traded blows with Incineroar as they went at each other with Throat Chop and a Thunderpunch and Focus Punch combo for several seconds, the crowd going nuts as they watched who was going to fall first should either miss a step or would be taken by surprise by Marowak or Nihilego Lillie. Eventually, Blitz got Incineroar by his chest and Incineroar got a hit on his face until...

"Use Meteor Beam!"

"AAAAUUUGGGHHHH!"

A surprise Meteor Beam from Gladion and Lillie's Ultra Beast sister came between them, making her score a hit on the pair and send them skidding back from one another.

Seeing this, Kiawe grunted as Gladion praised his youngest sister, "Nice work, Lillie!"

"Yeah, I did! Did you see it, Brother? I did it! I got them!" cooed Nihilego Lillie excitedly.

"You okay there, Blitz?" Sarah asked, seeing Blitz wiping his face and smarting from Nihilego Lillie's surprise Meteor Beam.

"I'm okay but Lillie and Gladion's sister pulled a fast one on me without warning. She's dynamite but I'm still the king of the hill here," Blitz nodded as he prepared to go at Nihilego Lillie, Marowak, and Incineroar again.

"Shadow Bone!" Kiawe barked, having his family's Bone Pokémon pull a fast one on Gladion's Ultra Beast sister and take him by surprise.

"Guess I'll be taking Sarah down today," the Kahuna-In-Training smirked at his friend.

"No, you're wrong! Sarah is my target!" Gladion huffed in reply, making Sarah and Blitz look at them and shrug at each other (deciding to see who would try and take them out first before Kukui could cut them off). "Quick, Lillie! Use Venoshock on Marowak and don't hold back!"

"Yes, Brother! Here's one from me, Mr. Marowak!" Lillie concurred, firing her Venoshock at full chat on Marowak attack to issue a little payback for his surprise assault.

"Dodge it and use Iron Head!" Kiawe countered, allowing Marowak to deliver the final blow to his friend's family's Ultra Beast after he dodged Venoshock.

"Apologies, Ms. Lillie II, but the princess is mine and Kiawe! HAAAAAAH!" Marowak said before he pounded Nihilego Lillie with Iron Head at his full strength, the Steel Type attack proving too much for her to handle (as she was weak to Steel Type moves given she was a Rock/Poison Dual Type) and causing her to fall back in defeat.

"...I-I tried my best... I'm sorry, Brother," Nihilego Lillie panted before she collapsed, being the first to be knocked out of the Battle Royal.

"Nihilego Lillie is unable to battle!" Jessie declared with everyone cheering for the little Ultra Beast and Gladion as the Silvally Ranger returned her, feeling proud for how she battled on behalf of her family.

"Lillie, I'm very proud of you. You did very well, let's train together again soon," he smiled, staring at the Ultra Ball containing his and Lillie's younger sister (the Ice Type Alumni in question also smiling at her little sister from the audience for showing what she was capable of in battle).

Lusamine and Mohn couldn't help but be proud of their son in his current state as a Pokemon Trainer, saying, "You know, Gladion's become quite tough given how hard he and his and Lillie's sister fought."

"Mm-hmm, he reminds me of you when we were young."

"Sarah! Marowak and I are coming at you with all we got, we expect you and Blitz to do the same!" Kiawe smirked at Sarah.

"I don't expect you to let up knowing what we're in for!" Sarah replied as she accepted Kiawe's challenge.

"You got it! Show them your stuff, Marowak!" Kiawe called, having Marowak go at Blitz and allowing him to go wild on the Alolan Mouse Pokémon before Incineroar and Kukui could go at him again.

"Come and get us!" Blitz continued to smirk as he dodged his blows and mentally dared Marowak,"...If you can."

"You're mine now!" Marowak barked as he tried to hit his old friend with each blow he threw at him.

"Hisfocus is good but not perfect," thought Blitz as he gauged the Alolan Bone Pokémon for several seconds until he was hit by a Shadow Bone attack and knocked onto the ground, creating a cloud of smoke that hid him from view.

"Now it's time for the champion to get schooled-huh?" Marowak smirked as he landed and waited for the smoke to clear until he saw that Blitz had vanished and realized he and Kiawe had been had with that phony defeat, impressed as he hummed to himself, "Hmm, so the old pipsqueak of a dog has learned some new tricks..."

"Who are you calling 'old'?!" Blitz shot as he charged at him and countered Shadow Bone with Iron Tail, causing them to be knocked back to their respective trainers and sharing respectful smirks between them.

"Hah! You haven't lost your touch, have you, old friend?"

"I could say the same about you and your fiery staffplay!"

"You and Marowak were quite the pair team after becoming Olivina's student and since he was given to you based on what you told me in your letters, Kiawe! But, why not come at us with your full strength this time and with a you-know-what, deal?" Sarah grinned, knowing what was to come.

"Yeah! We'll show ya what we've learned and how far we've come in our Kahuna training! Come on, Marowak, we got this!" Kiawe agreed, looking at his partner as they decided to use Inferno Overdrive.

"I'm with you, Kiawe! Let's...TURN UP THE HEAT!" Marowak smirked back.

"And, here's a real clincher! Don't blink, fellas, 'cause it's time to witness a Z-Move that'll decide it for our fire twerp and his Marowak!" Meowth grinned as Kiawe activated his Z-Ring and transferred his Z-Power to Marowak, making Roy and Fuecoco gasp in awe as they were about to witness a Z-Move (in this case, Inferno Overdrive) in action for the first time.

"The Zenith...of my mind...of my body...and spirit! Like the great mountain of Akala, become a raging fire and burn! USEINFERNO OVERDRIVE!" the Fire Type Alumni recited as he and Marowak performed the Z-Move poses for Inferno Overdrive.

"OH, GREAT TAPU LELE, OUR FAMILY'S ANCESTORS, SPIRITS OF WELA VOLCANO...! BURN OUR PATH TO TRIUMPH!" Marowak recited, his Z-Power on full chat from the bond between him and Kiawe as he conjured a massive fireball twice his own size.

"Guzzling Golducks! Look at that!"

"What is that thing?!"

"Is that one of Alola's Z-Moves, for real?!"

"I know we've heard of them before but that's ridiculous!" Ludlow, Murdock, Orla, and Mollie gasped in total shock at Kiawe's Z-Move.

"Are you getting this?!"

"That's incredible!"

"What power!"

"So, this is what Z-Moves are like!"

"Whoa! Holy Temple Spirits, what a fireball!" Dog, Ox, Pig, Rabbit, and Syndey gawked.

"Yeah! Yeah, F-F-F-F-F-FIRE IN THE HO-O-O-O-O-O-OLE!" Goat bleated gleefully given his pension for big bangs.

"Smooth play," smirked Cap, impressed by what was accomplished because of Kiawe and Marowak's shared power and bond with one another as he nodded in approval.

"Yeah! That's the spirit, this is getting good!" Friede agreed, beaming from ear to ear as he and Cap watched on.

"Here it comes, Mom! We have to break through it from the source!" Blitz called to his human mother.

"I gotcha, Blitz, I think it's time for a brand new combo just for them! Use Quick Agility plus Volt Charge then spin and head for the fireball!" Sarah instructed.

"WHAT?"

"NO WAY!"

"SPIN INTO THE FIREBALL?!"

Liko, Roy, and Dot couldn't believe what they were hearing and they thought Sarah had lost her mind asking Blitz to pull off an impossible feat and cancel Inferno Overdrive like that to take Marowak out of the battle.

But, despite the trio's better judgment, Blitz nodded as he went to the empty Tyranitar Corner and used a Quick Attack and Agility combo before he coated himself with electricity via Volt Tackle and Wild Charge. Then, in a huge plume of electricity, he jumped into the air and spun around like a top, diving head-first into Kiawe and Marowak's Inferno Overdrive. The spinning motion and electrical power of Wild Charge and Volt Tackle combined created a shield that protected him from the fireball and simultaneously activated his Lightning Rod ability which drastically increased his Special Attack Stats, making his moves more powerful as he charged through and came out from the other side.

"YAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!" cheered Blitz as he came at Marowak who (along with Kiawe) could only stare in shock as the Alolan Mouse Pokémon rammed into him by the chest and covered themselves in a cloud of smoke from a large explosion.

Moments later, he jumped out of the smoke and returned to Sarah's side of the field despite sporting a series of tiny scratches on his body (on account of the recoil effects from Volt Tackle and Wild Charge) and slightly steaming from the heat of Inferno Overdrive after taking in head-on as he did. But, as for Marowak, when the smoke finally cleared, everyone saw that the Alolan Bone Pokémon was knocked out (showing that Kiawe was also out of the Battle Royal).

"And, that's all she wrote for Kiawe and Marowak! Blitz and Sarah win over them by a knockout!"

"Amazing! As a result of combining two combo attacks via Quick Attack, Agility, Volt Tackle, and Wild Charge which shielded him and activated his Lightning Rod ability, Blitz was able to break through the Z-Move and take Marowak out of the game!" Wicke and Faba announced.

After a moment to take in what had happened, Kiawe just smiled and returned Marowak to his Pokeball, feeling proud of how they fared against Sarah and Blitz as he said, "...That's my greatest rival and friend for ya. Thanks so much, Marowak, you battled well."

The crowd and the rest of the heroes congratulated the Fire Type Alumni and Marowak on a job well done in the Battle Royal and for lasting as long as they did as they cheered for Sarah and Blitz again. But, as they looked at Incineroar and Kukui, they knew the match wasn't over yet given they had their old teacher and his partner to worry about (and recalling how much of a rough time they gave them, Aqua, Goodra, and Keldeo during the Alola League's exhibition match before Tapu Koko wrapped things up with them in the last round).

"Only Kukui and Incineroar are still standing, Mom," Blitz called to Sarah.

"Be careful, Blitz, they're still as powerful as ever given what they've shown us. And, if that Throat Chop assault is anything to go by, they're much more formidable since the Alola League's exhibition match so watch your back," Sarah replied, knowing what was in store for them.

"All alone again," Incineroar remarked, recalling the last few moments of the Alola League's exhibition match when his human partner and Tapu Koko squared off against their old competitors and students with Sarah and Blitz eventually coming out on top (according to what he was told after the match ended and he was healed up).

Kukui and Sarah stared at each other, knowing with Gladion and Kiawe knocked out of the Battle Royal, they were pitted against each other in a sudden death rumble between their respective partners and elements (i.e. Fire vs. Electricity). It was the exhibition match between them all over again but this time, in smaller Battle Royal circumstances.

At this, the two of them couldn't help but smile as they both recalled their last match and bantered, "Heh, fond memories, right?"

"How could I forget?"

They remembered that day well; in the final moments of their exhibition match in the Alola League, Sarah and Blitz were able to beat Kukui and Tapu Koko with Unity Ultima (thanks to the surprise appearance and assistance of Larmina after she emerged from her dormant form, causing Blitz to Terastallize in the process). The surprised and excited cheers they got from Ash, her friends and fellow students, their allies, and the audience that day were intense as the pair were given a second wind from her awakening that allowed them to win the match (thus making her the Alola Champion).

Sarah smiled fondly until she heard the entire audience cheering for her with Blitz also hearing them as they chanted, "PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS! PRINCESS!"

"Wow, get a load of everyone cheering just now!"

"They're all rooting for Sarah and Blitz!"

"I can't believe how popular she's become in her own kingdom!" Liko, Roy, and Dot bantered happily, amazed by what they saw and heard.

"Win it, Princess!"

"You're our champion, Sarah! Give it all you got!"

"Win this for the glory of Alola!"

"Show everyone you still got it!"

"We're with ya all the way, Princess!"

"Never forget you're the true Alola Champion!"

"Go for it!"

"We're all rootin' for ya!" several spectators in the audience hollered encouragingly.

"Go to it, Sarah!"

"You can win it!" Gladion and Kiawe encouraged proudly from their respective corners.

"Thanks, Gladion, Kiawe," Sarah thanked happily and steeled herself, smirking at Kukui while she took out her Pikanium Z and swapped out the Dragonium Z on her Z-Power Ring for it. "Alright, Professor, I hope you haven't lost your touch as the Masked Royal 'cause you know what I'm going for!"

"And, I wouldn't have it any other way!" Kukui smirked back as he activated his Z-Ring and readied himself to perform Malicious Moonsault with Incineroar. "Here it comes, Incineroar!"

"Let's rumble, pal!" his partner smirked knowingly.

"Ready to shock Incineroar to kingdom come with Pikarla's and Presley's Z-Move, Blitz?" Sarah called to her Pikachu son as she activated her Z-Power Ring.

"You bet! I hope they and everyone else at Pikachu Valley are watching this 'cause this one's in honor of them, my blood family, Curly, and my old abode!" Blitz grinned determinedly as they prepared to unleash Catastropika on Incineroar.

Their Z-Ring and Z-Power Ring activated, Kukui and Incineroar and Sarah and Blitz performed their respective Z-Move poses, the former student and her old teacher charging up and passing on their Z-Power to their chosen partners for their Z-Moves as they recited, "Here we go, Incineroar! Now, get fired up and incinerate the ring!"

"With a Pika-Pika and a Pikachu, with Pika-Pika's power, it will be the ultimate in Pika-powerful Z-Moves!"

"USEMALICIOUS MOONSAULT/CATASTROPIKA!"

As Incineroar jumped from his current position and Blitz was tossed up to meet him, they charged at each other for a final Z-Move assault with Blitz curling into a ball and becoming an electric comet streaking towards his Fire Type opponent and Incineroar unleashing his signature Z-Move at full power, creating a massive explosion that covered the arena in white light (the Battle Royal being left open-ended for anybody to draw up their own conclusions as to whether or not the outcome would be different from that of the Alola League exhibition match).

---

The next morning, on August 24th, the sun rose overhead for yet another new day in Alola. With Sarah, Race, and their family, along with Liko, Roy, Dot, Serrate, Floragato, Hatenna, Terapagos, Char, Fuecoco, Wattrel, Plume, Quaxly, Tinkatink, the Rising Volt Tacklers, Jambu, Papaya, Cassis, and Bromeliad, they were at the beach below the Alolan royal family's castle, happily watching the young couple's younger Pokemon, Dragonets, and Tiny Tooth dragons playing together on the sand and being careful not to go far out on the water.

On the other hand, Aqua, Dracovish, Oshawott, Lola, Lapras (whose intimidating and strict demeanor had loosened somewhat following Rayquaza's return to his family), and the other Water Types happily swam in the ocean's waves with some of the SeaWings living nearby.

"Wow... It's...It's beautiful."

"...What a sight," Dot and Quaxly commented in awe, the former sporting a small smile as they watched the sun slowly rising into the sky.

"You were right, Sarah," this beach really is the best place to see the sunrise," Liko beamed, seeing the sun on the horizon as its rays shone and made the sea sparkle. "I can't believe everything that happened yesterday at the Battle Royal and right now... It's all so amazing!"

"And, magical, too!" concurred Floragato, sharing her partner's sentiments about Alola and everything they'd experienced.

"You got that right. Everybody loves it here in Alola," Jambu grinned at her as his scales became a bright shade of pink.

"It's so peaceful and tranquil yet lively and full of energy just like our home of the Rainforest Kingdom," added Cassis.

"Alola's just the greatest but you and your family are extraordinary with your house, Sarah! A futuristic castle with an ancient and medieval flair by contrast, I feel like I'm in a sci-fi Disney movie with what I saw inside after you showed us the place," Orla commented blissfully as she looked at the little princess.

"I couldn't believe how much you and your family had in your castle abode when you showed us the place after the Battle Royal yesterday," Friede chuckled, remembering when Sarah and her family showed the Rising Volt Tacklers their old home and how captivated and amazed they were by its ancient splendor and the technological advancements done to it to fit into the new era.

Of course, the Rising Volt Tacklers all found their favorite parts of the castle based on their professions and interests:

- Murdock, Rockruff, and Alcremie adored the kitchen's state-of-the-art features including its new Food Transportation System (or FTS, for short), its innovative ATM-inspired food dispenser, and its sizable pantries stocked with an abundant array of food, beverages, and household essentials (something that caught Orla's eye and delighted her, making the airship mechanic propose doing something similar to the Brave Olivine's kitchen)

- Mollie and Chansey were particularly impressed with the castle's medical ward and how well-equipped it is to tackle any healthcare emergencies should anybody-human, Pokémon, dragon, and mythical creature-get hurt unexpectedly or otherwise or general health needs such as full-body massages, spa baths, acupuncture, and so on

- Fuecoco, especially, loved the castle's Indoor Food Parlor and its array of snacks, ice cream, and candies, to satisfy his hunger and sweet tooth as he, the Dragonets, and the younger Pokémon indulged themselves in whatever snacks they chose including the machine's fudge. Larmina, Topaz, Garnet, and Terapagos couldn't be happier as they cooed and munched away on some of the Masaladas the royal family stocked up on while Koraidon, Miraidon, Serpent, and Athiusa munched away at the different types of sandwiches they were offered (Koraidon and Miraidon doing so without a care in the world, making everyone laugh at the younger Paradox Pokémon pair for their love for sandwiches)

"Well, when you learn magic from the Wizarding World and start to indulge in what is possible with it as my family and I had, you learn and pick up on a few things. Even some that will take you by surprise when you least expect it at any given moment, if you know what I mean," Sarah replied humbly.

"You must be very proud of your home region's beauty even now, aren't you, Sarah?" Ludlow smiled, getting a nod from her.

"Yeah... At least I know, even if I'm only here for a little while before school starts again at Uva Academy, I'm happy to be back home..."

"I can see why given how sentimental you're becoming," Friede concurred.

"Heh-heh, I thought you'd be here after living part-time between Paldea and Dragonstone for a while," Kukui chuckled as he, Burnet, and a snoozing Lei appeared before the group.

"Oh! Alola, Professors," Sarah smiled.

"Alola to you, your family, and your new friends, too," the Alola Professor grinned.

"Professor, that Battle Royal you, Sarah, Kiawe, and Gladion had yesterday was amazing! It's almost like something out of a legend of old! Your, Sarah, and Kiawe's Z-Moves are the greatest; I wish Fuecoco and I could learn to use Inferno Overdrive one day!"

"It's da bomb!" Roy and Fuecoco gushed at him with the latter excitedly spewing a fireball from his mouth.

"Well, glad you liked it, you two! Z-Moves are an amazing thing Alola is known for concerning Pokémon but if you want to try them out and bring out the best in them, you'll have to do as much training as Sarah, Kiawe, and I, and the rest of my old students have done to Rock Polish them. You would also have to understand the meaning of the Island Challenge and know that not everything revolves around battling but I'm sure with time, effort, and practice, you'll get the hang of learning and using Z-Moves in no time."

"Mama!"

"Smeeboo! Smeboo!"

The heroes turned to the owners of two new voices, and to Sarah's surprise, a Happiny and a newly hatched HiveWing named Bumblebee toddled up to her (with Bumblebee being roughly the size of a large mango and sporting black stripes, wide and fuzzy bright yellow swathes, yellow and black-striped wings, black scale rims that circled her golden yellow woe-be-gone eyes on her golden face, and shimmering wings).

"Bumblebee!" Sarah chuckled holding the baby HiveWing in her arms as she cooed, "Mama, hungry, goorb!"

While Sarah fed Bumblebee with an Oran Berry (which she easily gobbled up), the little Happiness Pokémon waddled over to Lazuli, the swordswoman looking surprised as she picked her up and held her in her hands. During the previous day, while the heroes were searching for the Forgotten Ones, a wild Happiny noticed them until her eyes were fixed upon the former Explorer. Curious, she quietly followed them as best she could, keeping her eyes on Lazuli until a surprised Woobat was able to find her after the Dark Zords were purified.

"What are you doing here?" she puzzled Happiny, the tiny Normal Type having stolen her heart the moment she was found tailgating her and her family and friends.

As for the Alolan Royal Ops Squad, Kaji, Braxien, Xena, Noctowl, Blitz, Curly, Appletun, Hydrapple, and Sakura, they weren't with their family for the family as of now because they were helping to rehabilitate eight new Pokémon Jessie, James (Team Rocket), and Meowth had given to the little princess from their old syndicate's Prize Master Machine (an invention used by Giovanni but now served no purpose after his syndicate was dissolved) with the rest having been rehabilitated elsewhere: Sakura's male Meganium mate (Samson), a female Staraptor, a female Corviknight, a male Flapple, a male Kantonian Pikachu (Richard), a female Alolan Raichu (Rachael), and a male Chestnaught (Chester).

Much to James and Nikki's dismay, their presence racketed their niece-in-law's total number of Pokémon in their family to three hundred and one (their fears of her continuing to grow her family proving valid as they didn't want to think about her looking for mates for her Pokémon given the mass outbreaks in Paldea growing from twenty to thirty as of late).

Asha noticed this and she couldn't help but chuckle at her parents, "Hey, there's no use crying over the fact that Sis now has every single Starter Pokémon on her. What harm can her having a few more like Swampert and Blaziken do given the Paldea outbreaks?"

"Oh, no, Ponchita, you better not be giving your sister ideas if you two and Race plan on dealing with those outbreaks outside of your studies at Uva Academy," James warned his blood daughter, glaring darkly at her.

"You know as well as we do how much of a hassle owning nearly 300 Pokémon can be when she has the majority among us, young lady," Nikki agreed, not taking Asha's joke lightly.

"I'm just saying, why not help give them something better to look forward to in life?" Asha replied, raising her hands defensively in surrender.

"Come on, Aunt, Uncle, be fair about this. It's not that bad once you think about it. The Paldea outbreaks would be a good way for me to instill discipline in them since I still need to give some of my Pokémon mates of their own," Sarah reassured as best she could despite understanding their gripes.

"I can't wait to return to Jade Mountain Academy, it's gonna be so much fun!" Finch grinned as she fluttered her wings.

"Right, you, Spice, Ginger, Aster, Warner, Azure, Macaw, and Arcoiris are all students there and you'll be returning to Dragonstone to begin your next semester. And, Kalahari and Aloe recently graduated when they were still 1-2 respectively," Zenna spoke as she turned to the Dragonets.

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me! We'll have to return to the Ranger Academy for our next term," Hiccup remembered, getting knowing nods from his and Zenna's friends.

"Well, I guess we won't be seeing each other for a while, Sarah..."

"But, good luck in your, Asha, and Race's studies at Uva Academy. Make sure to show Liko, Roy, and Dot the ropes when you return to Paldea or we'll give them a crash course of the Ranger Academy should they transfer there instead, alright?" Fishlegs and Astrid said, smiling at Sarah.

"Yeah, I'll miss you guys but good luck with your next term," she agreed as she hugged and shared high-fives and handshakes with the Viking Teens and body rubs and nuzzles with their dragons and Partner Pokémon.

"Yim, Yim, Yim!" Bumblebee cooed.

"Mother, Princess, Brothers..."

The heroes then looked up and saw Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini arriving to see their family and friends before they went their separate ways to begin their school terms at their respective academies (Tapu Koko having spoken up since they approached their mother and brothers with their kingdom's princess).

"Children, how wonderful it is to see you again," Spherialla smiled warmly as she floated to the new Guardian Deities while Panthagle, Angistus, Houratta, Mizuara, and Tuschowl grinned at their siblings/successors.

"Hi, Mommy!" giggled Tapu Lele.

"It's been a while, Mother. You and our brothers should drop by more often," agreed Tapu Bulu.

"We missed you," concurred a happy Tapu Fini.

"We're glad to know you, our brothers, and the princess are doing well. And, I see you've already become acquainted with Lady Diancie and your new friends while you were away. Lady Diancie," Tapu Koko smiled as he greeted Diancie warmly.

"Tapu Koko," Diancie smiled back as she gave him and his siblings a curtsey.

Liko, Roy, Dot, and the Rising Volt Tacklers were awestruck by the appearance of Alola's current Island Guardians as the young girl stuttered, "U-U-Uh... H-H-H-Hi, n-nice to meet you."

"Hello," Roy and Dot replied quickly as they and Liko bowed to them.

"Wow, I can't believe it...! Are we actually meeting Alola's Island Guardians and more Spherialla's children?" Liko mused in wonder, trying to control herself as Roy excitedly brought out his Rotom Phone and scanned the Island Guardians via his Pokedex:

- "Tapu Koko, the Land Spirit Pokémon. A Fairy and Electric Type; although it is called a Guardian Deity, should a person or Pokémon put it in a bad mood, it will become a malevolent deity and attack."

- "Tapu Lele, the Land Spirit Pokémon. A Fairy and Psychic Type; as it flutters about, the Akala Guardian Deity scatters its strangely glowing scales which are said to restore good health on the spot when touched."

- "Tapu Bulu, the Land Spirit Pokemon. A Fairy and Grass Type; the Guardian Deity of Ula'ula is a lazy Pokémon but it commands plants to immobilize its foes and then deals them a savage blow with its horns."

- "Tapu Fini, the Land Spirit Pokémon. A Fairy and Water Type; as the Guardian Deity of Poni Island, it can control water and people say it can create pure water that will wash away any uncleanliness."

"Well, I never thought I'd see the day; us getting to see and meet Alola's four Guardian Deities all at once," Friede remarked as he and the Rising Volt Tacklers grinned at Alola's Island Guardians.

"We know it'll be a while before you finally come home after your studies."

"But, we want to let you and your family and friends know you have our blessings while you're at Uva Academy."

"Do your best, all of you-you, your husband and sister, and your new friends and classmates-and never lose sight of what you're aiming for. Your other friends and the Dragonets returning to school will also have our blessings in their studies."

"But, for now, we just like to say; good luck in your upcoming term, and most importantly, while your stay was sadly brief... Welcome home, Princess..." Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, Tapu Fini, and Tapu Koko smiled at Sarah with the Melemele Guardian stretching out his right hand to her.

Liko, Roy, Dot, and everyone else watching didn't need to say anything despite the excitement and craziness that would entail in the young trainers' journey with the Rising Volt Tacklers and the Alolan Royal Family as they smiled at Sarah; they all knew exactly what the Guardian Deities meant.

Sarah just smiled as she held Tapu Koko's hand and said to him, "...My family and I, we're back, that we are..."

To Be Continued...

---

Occured Events

- Sarah and Race free the Forgotten Ones, whom make their home in Celestial Sanctuary

- Lazuli catches a Happiny

- Liko, Roy and Dot and the Rising Volt Tacklers see Alola for the first time and see their first Battle Royal

- Sarah reveals to have become a foster parent to dragonets on occasion starting with Bumblebee the baby HiveWing

- Sarah gains eight more Pokémon, reaching the milestone of nearly 300 family members: Samson the male Meganium and Sakura's mate, Staraptor (female), Corviknight (female), Flapple (male) and Richard the Kantonian Raichu (male) and Rachel the Alolan Raichu (female), Blastoise (male) and Chester the Chesnaught (male)

- Sarah officially has 301 Pokemon in her family