The previous day had been whirlwind of surprises and success for our heroes in the case of Dot and Sophocles; after entering Levincia and meeting with Iono for a short get-together upon their arrival, they discovered that Dot had stage fright whenever all eyes are on her and she tried to bypass that by being her Nidothing alter-ego for her Basics test. But, after a timely intervention by Pipp Petals and her Swanna, she stood out in her own right and took it as herself alongside Sophocles in a Master Triangle Battle against the Levincia Gym Leader that night (which they passed despite some setbacks including Quaxly being knocked out near the end).
Now, it was the morning of the group's eventual departure from Levincia as they stayed overnight aboard the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft and nearly everybody was having breakfast as they prepared to move on (since it was also decided that Ash and his group would part ways with the others so they can begin their own Basics tests and do their reports elsewhere). But, why nearly everybody, you may ask? Well, it was because a certain little princess left extremely early and was now standing in front of a company Reader had seen in her timeline, one that housed a crystal that's part of something they now know as Laquium.
The company she paid a visit to was simply known as "Exceed", a reserach facility focused on trainers and Pokémon and how they would improve their ways of life. This simple yet inspiring goal motivated the company to seek out and recruit several people passionate about Pokémon on its staff since its inception.
Within the timeline her seer studied, Sarah came to know that Spinel was once a scientist who originally worked at Exceed before joining the Explorers. It was made even worse given that the timeline also showed his Umbreon being exposed to the Laquium's power and going berserk because of it, motivating her to learn more about the dangerous crystal and a possible connection it had to Terapagos.
Knowing of Spinel's original connections to the company and thinking Beheeyem could be nearby, she pulled out her Dramillion Cloak, took a deep breath, and pulled its hood over her head before sneaking through the company's doors.
The little princess carefully moved through the building, doing her best to avoid the scientists, board members, and general staff carrying out their duties or having their morning coffee while chatting about their personal lives or their research as she looked for the location of the Laquium. The room she was looking for was an underground vault where Reader told her the Laquium sample was being held away from prying and curious eyes.
Eventually, she found the hallway leading to the vault (which was thankfully unguarded) and carefully moved her way towards it.
However, she didn't get far to it as she accidentally bumped into something and fell (her hood coming off her head as she fell back). The "something" she ran into, however, turned out to be a small team of five people that were also making their way to the vault (by complete coincidence, possibly).
The person she bumped into was a 19-year-old teenage girl with light skin and short black hair with a male Lucario by her side but the other three were a major shock for her to see: Stacey, Carla, and Hazel (the bisexual couple and biologists of Rakke Corp and Alex's mothers). True to her previous deal with Commander Ryan, years after her original ill-fated stint at Animal Genetics Ultima was thankfully shut down and she revealed herself to the world following the end of Cawthorn and his allies, she was now a part-time genetics researcher for ICARIS alongside Carla and Hazel and a full-time member of her new commanding officer's Adventure City Police Force.
At present, she, the girl and her Lucario, Carla, and Hazel were invited to Exceed to learn more about the Laquium upon special request by Exceed's CEO but they had no idea about Sarah arriving until she bumped into the girl after she snuck inside to get to the vault and retrieve the Laquium herself.
"Who are you?!" the Lucario barked as he conjured a Bone Rush and pointed it at the little princess, thinking she was an intruder after her cloak's ability was canceled.
"Intruder!" gasped the girl, taking out what looked like a Rescue Blaster from Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue from a holster on the right side of her belt and pointing it at the startled princess.
"Ah! Wait, wait, wait! Hold up, hold your fire! Please! I'm not your enemy!" Sarah yelped in bewilderment, holding her hands out in surrender.
"Princess?!" Carla and Hazel balked in shock once they saw her.
"Shut up! You have the right to remain silent if you're after the Laquium, you bastard! If you try anything funny, anything you say will be used against you in court!" the girl shouted, glaring at Sarah as she and her Lucario kept their weapons on her (with the mentioning of her title by Carla and Hazel flying over their heads).
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey, Jane! Lucario! Take it easy, it's alright...! Calm down! Settle down, it was just a misunderstanding! She doesn't mean any harm, she's a friend of mine," Stacey frantically called to the girl and Lucario, getting in front of them and shielding Sarah before they could attack her by mistake.
"Are you sure? You know how urgent the CEO's invitation was given how he was very discreet about this Laquium thing he wanted us to see. For all we know, she could be wanting it for herself," the girl, Jane, huffed in reply.
"I'm sure. Need I remind you that this young lady is one of those who helped me deal with a former boss of mine in Adventure City? Someone from the Alolan Royal Family who was once the leader of the Power Rangers Ultra Rescue before the Dino Fury team came into the fray and who helped the Beast Morphers team destroy an enemy from another world long thought to be dead in the form of a computer virus?"
"Alolan Royal F-huh?! Wait! You mean, she's-!?"
"Princess Sarah Tomoe!?" Jane and her Lucario balked, shocked.
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief as she nodded and confirmed, "Guilty as charged."
"...Right, ahem. Apologies, Your Highness, forgive us. You see, our visit is classified according to my father, Lightspeed Rescue, and Exceed so we didn't want to be too careful, especially with what we're looking for," Jane replied guiltily as she and her equally-guilty Lucario disarmed themselves and gently bowed to her. "Now, then, I'm Jane Mitchell from Mariner Bay. And, this here is my Lucario."
"Princess," Jane's Lucario nodded in greeting.
"Hey, no worries, you didn't know about me. Besides, I'm here on business, too," Sarah replied kindly before she turned to Stacey. "It's good to see you again, Doctor."
"Likewise, kid, wasn't expecting you to be here of all places. I heard you're back in school at a place called Uva Academy so I thought you'd have your head stuck in a book at a library. But, it's good to see you're in top form as ever," Stacey joked just as her dalmatian puppy-Dizzy (now 6 years old), her Hydreigon and Dragonite-Hydrium and Callum, her Night Lights-Moonbeam and Veil, and their Short Wing younglings now 10 years old (Lyra, Altair, Vega, Comet, Phoenix, Aquila, Cygnus, Draco, Seren, Cassiopeia, Scorpius, and Andromeda) joined her and her group.
"Yeah, I get that," Sarah nodded before she turned to Jane (just as Moonbeam gently purred and nuzzled her, the older female Night Light happy to see the little princess again). "So, if you don't mind me asking, why did you and your Lucario pull your blaster and a Bone Rush on me, thinking I was an intruder?"
"As I told you, our visit here was classified by my father, William Mitchell, the head of an organization he spearheaded years ago called Lightspeed Rescue, the organization itself, and Exceed on account of the Laquium. While this place is empty, the CEO asked us to examine it. He and his directors were getting anxious about the sample they discreetly collected upon discovering that the Explorers want it, too," Jane replied.
"They had a nasty feeling that their old employee, Spinel, will be dropping by at some point to 'collect' it on account of the extraordinary power it holds which could be deadly to any nearby Pokémon exposed to it," her Lucario added.
"Spinel?!" gasped Sarah before humming and musing darkly, "...So, the Explorersareafter the Laquium as Reader expected."
"I'm guessing you know about Spinel and his cohorts already?" Jane questioned curiously.
"Yeah, they're a nasty piece of work with what they're doing. Had a few run-ins with them as of late but my friends and I took care of them each time so they'll be out of our hair, hopefully. Of course, that's wishful thinking given how persistent they are. But, how come you knew about them?"
"Raven. She became worried for you after she found out that they wanted you, Race, and a defect of theirs, Lazuli Himura, dead for her betrayal and your three Terapagos so she forwarded everything you two, your family, her and your friends went through to me," Stacey replied knowingly before she smirked at the little princess. "Besides, you didn't think it would be that easy to leave your other friends like myself in the dark about a syndicate wanting your heads, Larmina, Topaz, Garnet, and the Terapagos belonging to your friend, Liko, did you?"
"I thought we agreed to somehow stick together through stuff like this," agreed an unimpressed Carla, glowering at Sarah for not telling her and, Hazel, and Stacey's group about the Explorers.
"Yeah, but-!"
"Princess, you're not the only ones who want to stop the Explorers from doing whatever they want and as they please to fulfill their common goal, especially if they get the Laquium. All of us, your friends, old and new, near and far... We'll all help you, somehow," Hazel replied.
"And, given how much bigger this is, we choose to help stop them and end Gibeon's plans even if he should succeed in his goals for the world after getting the Laquium," Jane finished as her Lucario nodded.
Sarah looked between the four girls and Stacey's family, seeing how serious they all were about their mission and wanting to help her and her family and friends deal with the Explorers, stop Spinel and Gibeon, and figure out why they wanted the Laquium, Terapagos, Larmina, Topaz, and Garnet along with the Six Heroes in the first place.
She then sighed and gave a defeated smile, appreciating the help they're offering her despite her better judgment.
"...Okay. Okay. Just be careful given that we're all in this together in one way or another. That means you too, Carla, Hazel; I don't want Alex being a headless clucky if you two got hurt," she told them, giving Stacey a pat on the back and a handshake of acceptance to Jane (who smiled at her) while Hazel and Carla nodded determinedly (understanding they need to stay alive for the sake of their daughter). "Alright, I think I know how we can begin dealing with the Laquium once we reach the vault. Come on."
Now in agreement to tackle the matter of the Laquium together, Sarah, Stacey, her family, Jane, her Lucario, Carla, and Hazel made their way to the vault at the end of the hallway. Thankfully, when they made it to the vault, there was still nobody guarding the rest of the hall and the door leading to it.
"Alohomora," Sarah recited after she brandished her wand from her cloak and pointed it at the door, hearing it click open before they entered.
They entered the room and found a more technical vault door and taking out an employee pass she, Jane, Carla, and Hazel were given upon their arrival to Exceed, Stacey punched in a code that gave them full access to its contents inside. And, in front of them, upon entering, was a thin piece of red and pink crystal which was actually the Laquium sample under Exceed's ownership in a glass container labeled as "Laquium/The Treasure of Eternity".
"Well, there it is."
"Yeah... A rock it may be but a powerful one by the looks of it," confirmed Sarah and Jane, staring at the Laquium.
"Why does the name 'The Treasure of Eternity' give me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it?"
"Don't know why the researchers here decided to name it like that, not sure how much of a blessing it could be if Spinel gets it somehow," Hazel and Carla remarked, having a bad feeling about the Laquium.
"My seer, Reader, knew the feeling; she foresaw Spinel stealing it from under everyone's noses and using its power to make his Umbreon go into a feral state and make her a rampaging monster. If what she saw was true, it could do more harm than good if any Pokémon are nearby."
"It's a good thing my aura was heightened to a degree that would allow me to resist its power. But, still... The thought of something as innocent and harmless as that rock housing so much power that could make a Pokémon go feral? ...It scares me, a little bit," Jane's Lucario noted, also feeling uneasy about the Laquium sample as Stacey took out a pair of rubber gloves and slipped them on her hands to take out the box holding the sample.
"If it's possible, I don't want any other Pokémon near that thing."
"Well, let's hope the dragons won't be affected by that monstrosity as well if it really is that powerful."
"You sure it would be wise to take it out of here, kid?" Stacey asked Sarah as she carefully took out the box and held it out to her. "You know Spinel's gonna have his eye on you once he sees his prize up, over, and gone."
"It's our only chance and Reader's vision could be all too true should it play out. I'd rather take that chance if we're to learn how to counter its effects and uncover its connection to Larmina, Topaz, Garnet, and Terapagos," Sarah replied, taking and gently opening the box to reveal the crystal before she wrapped it in some cloth and stuffed it inside her cloak.
"Hi, Sarah!" a tiny voice chirped, startling the girls before the little princess saw a tiny yet familiar puppy standing on one of the vault's shelves.
"Tuck?" she blinked in surprise at the golden retriever.
She looked back to see if anybody somehow followed them before she held out her hand and she caught shrunken Mighty Pup, hissing at him, "What are you doing here? Where's your sister, how did you two know about the Laquium as we did?"
"We heard about this Laquium thing from Ryder when it came under his and the PAW Patrol's radar so we've called to investigate it and the company as well. He sent us to join Jane, Stacey, Carla, and Hazel in retrieving it but I guess we didn't expect you to be here, too. Ella's outside in hiding and she's keeping a lookout for those Explorer creeps. If they wanted what you took from here so bad, that would explain the growling sound I heard coming from that nearby tarp over there," Tuck explained as he pointed the group towards a tarp that covered what looked like a large circular dome which shook violently and made the girls jump again.
"...Okay, that's creepy," Jane breathed as she readied her Rescue Blaster and Lucario summoned his Bone Rush while they tensed up, ready to fight.
Hazel, Carla, and Stacey also sensed trouble was afoot from the covered dome as they took out two SPD laser firearms (provided to Carla and Hazel by the Rakke Corp) and a new Laser Magnum (made for and given to Stacey by Commander Ryan, his police force, and the Aether Foundation) and readied themselves to shoot should whatever was inside it breaks free.
But, Sarah started to sense something else that drew her attention; it was an aura that was strangely similar to that of Keldeo and Diancie's Keldeo friend (the aura also catching Lucario's attention as he held his Bone Rush at the ready).
Not wanting to be too careful and knowing it would be best to defend herself if needed, Sarah drew her family's Sun Sword to defend herself as she slowly reached out for the tarp upon getting to the dome. She pulled the tarp off and it was revealed to be a wild female Keldeo (akin to the Crown Tundra's Keldeo) surrounded by pink mist coming from the Laquium sample.
The girls and Tuck gasped in shocked horror as they saw how feral and crazed the wild Keldeo, Sarah's eyes widening as she took in what had happened to the wild female Colt Pokémon after she was exposed to the Laquium. She thought it was a gruesome sight to see Spinel's Umbreon devolving into a bloodthirsty creature after she was exposed to the crystal and its power according to Reader's vision but the sight of it being in such a state and seeing how literally wild her eyes were, her heart raced like mad and a cold chill ran down her spine (filling her with a feeling of terror she never felt before). Her heart wrenched even more as she took in her appearance, its glossy coat matted and disheveled being a clear sign of the pain she was in.
"Oh, my god...!"
"What happened to it?" breathed Carla and Hazel, aghast by how aggressive the Fighting/Water Type was being.
"The poor dear... It must've been a victim to the Laquium sample and the power it obtained at some point after it was collected," Stacey grimaced.
"Whatever that power was, it paints a gruesome picture we're seeing before us," Sarah nodded before she decided to approach the feral Keldeo with caution, hoping she could reach her heart despite how aggressive it was being. "Calm down, girl. It's okay, easy... I'm not gonna hurt you, I can help you. I promise..."
She reached the feral Legendary Pokémon and continued to coo gently at her, eventually reaching out so she could get a chance to touch the dome she was contained in. But, all that did was make the feral Keldeo roar at her, her eyes narrowing and scrunching from the Laquium's power infecting her before she lunged at the little princess and broke through the dome with little to no effort. Sarah gasped and yelled in bewilderment as she darted out of the way, the female Colt Pokémon crashing into some items behind her after she landed on the ground and failed to hit her.
"Look out!"Jane's Lucario boomed as the feral Keldeo went on the attack again.
He stood in front of Jane with his Bone Rush at the ready but the female Colt Pokémon darted towards him at a speed faster than lightning and rammed into the male Aura Pokémon, throwing him back towards the wall behind them.
"Lucario, no!" Jane screamed as she raced to her partner.
Even Stacey, Hazel, and Carla were forced to fire their weapons to defend themselves from the feral Legendary Pokémon when she turned her attention to them until they were forced to dodge her latest charge after she avoided their blasts.
Unable to take in the sight of the victimized Pokémon unleashing her feral prowess on Jane, Lucario, Stacey, Hazel, and Carla, Sarah was forced to summon her mother's Moon Shield and bring out one of her Deathgripper Darts. Loading it into her shield's Crossbow Mode, she quickly aimed the dart at the feral Keldeo as she turned to her once more and unleashed a kamikaze charge and fired. Thankfully, she managed to hit her neck and the Deathgripper Venom made its effect, putting the victimized Legendary Pokémon to sleep and leaving her unconscious for a period of time.
Not wanting to take any chances, she then put her hands in a Kamehameha position as a golden aura covered them and she threw an Aura Sphere that trapped the feral Colt Pokémon inside. The girls (and Tuck who Sarah managed to cover and hide in one of her pockets when the feral Keldeo attacked them) all breathed a sigh of relief as they disarmed and relaxed themselves as Jane helped her Lucario to his feet.
Despite their relief, they were all badly shaken by what they saw as Sarah recalled the first three lines of Reader's prophecy:
"A storm will rise with jewels of light in shadows hidden from the brightest sight
Crystals of power, their truth a lie, guide hearts astray beneath the sky
Laquium whisper, danger deep, where secrets stir and shadows creep"
"Whoa..."
"That is crazy..."
"I never knew a simple rock could be so deadly," Carla, Hazel, and Jane breathed in stunned horror.
"Urgh, wow... She packs a wallop with how much of a beast she is no thanks to whatever's inside that stone," Lucario concurred as he held his head.
"Yeah, the Laquium must have something to do with it. I'm going to get her and the sample to the Brave Olivine and the Dragon Craft back at Levincia, hopefully Friede and Mollie can help with them," Sarah decided before she turned to Tuck. "Tuck, we'll meet in Levincia to discuss more about the Laquium a little later. Can you get your sister and join us at the apartment the Rising Volt Tacklers are staying at?"
"Sure thing, Sarah," Tuck nodded as he returned to his normal size.
"Lucario and I will stay and tell the CEO and the board of directors about this."
"We'll meet you, Tuck, and this Ella you mentioned when we're done giving our report," Jane and her Lucario added, getting an approving nod from Sarah before she apparated herself, Stacey, her family, Hazel, Carla, and the knocked-out feral Colt Pokémon to the port in Levincia and quickly brought her into Mollie's medical bay in the Brave Olivine (but not before meeting up with Ella and taking her along with them).
"Come on, buddy, they'll want to know about this."
"Right."
With that, Jane and her Lucario went to see the Exceed CEO and the board of directors to tell them what they and the rest of their group discovered in the vault. And, had Sarah looked at her left wrist at any point, she would've noticed a certain morpher hidden underneath the end of the left arm sleeve of her jacket.
"Mollie! Friede, Orla, Murdock, guys?! We got a problem! We need help!"
Sarah, Stacey, her family, Carla, Hazel, Tuck, and Ella wasted no time setting down the sphere holding the feral and temporarily-sedated Keldeo when they entered the medical bay and the little princess wasted no time calling the Rising Volt Tacklers and the rest of the heroes over (via Rotoscope after he accessed the Rising Volt Tacklers app and urgently forwarded his owner's emergency call).
"Help, Mollie! Come quickly!"
"Help! We have a wild Pokémon that needs help! Help!" Ella and Tuck boomed frantically, their calls causing the Rising Volt Tacklers, Johnathan, Diane, Tsukumaro, Liko, Roy, Dot, their partners and dragons, Terapagos (who stuck his head out of Liko's tote bag again to see what the fuss was about), Lazuli, her parents, their Pokémon and Breeze, Stardust, and the Circle of Twelve filing in the medical bay.
"Honey!"
"Sarah!"
"Dr. Stacey, Carla, Hazel!"
"What's happening?!"
"What's wrong?" Diane, Liko, Roy, Friede, and Cap barked in surprise.
"Sarah, what's going on? What is this?" Mollie asked as she joined the little princess, Alex's mothers, Stacey, her family, Tuck, and Ella and saw the sedated Keldeo in her Aura Sphere.
"I'll explain later. Right now, we need your-LOOK OUT!" Sarah began before she noticed the wild and feral Keldeo waking up as the Deathgripper Venom wore off, causing her to rear on her hind legs and deliver a Double Kick at the sphere.
Under the effects of the Laquium, the feral Colt Pokémon's Fighting Type attack was too much for it to bear and it shattered, causing Sarah to be knocked down as it was linked to her power.
"Sarah! Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! Take it easy, alright? Calm down! You're safe now! We won't hurt you, I promise!" Mollie yelled, raising her hands and not wanting the feral Keldeo to attack.
The others were startled and frightened by the feral and aggressive look of the Fighting/Water Type as Murdock gulped, "Uh...! Bad pony, bad pony! Guys, I'm not liking this! Is it just me or is that Keldeo scaring the heebie-jeebies out of me?"
"What could've caused the poor thing to be like this?" Orla added, sharing Murdock's sentients as she flinched at the feral Keldeo.
There was no time to ponder anymore as the feral Keldeo neighed aggressively before she bolted towards Mollie and Chansey at a staggering speed, immediately striking the Happiness Pokémon down to the ground without warning.
"CHANSEY!"
"Oh, no!" Mollie and Liko shrieked in horror.
"That Keldeo took Chansey down with one hit!"
"What's happened to it? It's acting like a monster!" Roy and Dot griped fearfully as Quaxly, Plume, Char, and Fuecoco hardly dared to breathe out of fear of becoming the feral Colt Pokémon's next targets.
"What in the name of Arceus is going on-AH!" Cobalion began as he, Virizion, Terrakion, and Keldeo came to see what was going on after hearing the ruckus from the Dragon Craft before they stared in shock at the wild and feral Keldeo before them.
"Is that...another Keldeo?!"
"It's a female Keldeo just like the Keldeo that befriended Young Race in the Crown Tundra!" Terrakion and Virizion balked in utter shock.
"What's happened to her? She's running wild here!" Keldeo gulped worriedly before he noticed his fellow Colt Pokémon suddenly turning its attention him, making her charge at him and forcing the Sword of Justice to use Double Kick to knock her back.
"This is not normal behavior for a Keldeo, right?!"
"Not at all!" Liko and Floragato balked as the latter readied her bud if she'd have to fight while Hatenna whimpered fearfully in Liko's hoodie, sensing her human mother's horror.
"How did a Keldeo become like this?!" Friede questioned.
"It was because of the Laquium sample we picked up from Exceed!" Sarah explained, quickly pulling out the sample to show to Friede who was shocked to see it in her hands.
But, out of all of the heroes, creatures, and Pokémon watching the horror show before them unfold, it was Liko's Terapagos that had the biggest reaction they had seen out of someone in their group yet. When the baby Tera Pokémon looked at the feral Keldeo and saw the cloth concealing the Laquium Sarah was holding out to Friede, he suddenly became agitated, acting as though he was sensing something was off before he jumped out of the tote bag and glared angrily at the female wild Colt Pokémon and the object in the little princess' hands.
"BAD CRYSTAL! EVIL CRYSTAL! NO GOOD, BAD! EVIL CRYSTAL DO THIS! BAD, BAD, BAD! BAD!" he screeched violently as the Laquium inside the cloth started to emit its pink mist.
"Terapagos!" Liko gasped in alarm as she rushed to Lucius and Marena's little friend and hugged him to try and restrain him while he squirmed violently in her arms in response to the Laquium (its mist now wafting the entire medical bay).
His angry screeches worried everyone and they even got the attention of the Jungle Guard who immediately sensed the danger from the Dragon Craft and went over to see what was going on while bringing Larmina, Topaz, and Garnet with them so they could comfort Terapagos. But, the sight of the youngest Tera Pokémon lashing out like mad in Liko's arms while continuing to scream about the Laquium and how bad and evil it was and the feral Keldeo startled them upon arriving.
"What is that?!"
"A Keldeo!"
"But, it's gone wild!"
"It's like a dog with uncontrollable rabies!"
"What happened to it?"
"Hey, what's with Terapagos?!" Breezeon, Freezeon, Tyson, Ghost (Dragapult), Amber, and Gogoat balked in shock.
"Terapagos! Please! It's gonna be okay! What's wrong?! Terapagos, look at me! Calm down!" Liko begged her Tera Pokémon frantically as he continued to struggle in her arms just as Jane and her Lucario arrived (after leaving Exceed via a Salamence she had on her).
"NO MORE BAD ROOOOOOOOOOOOOCK!" Terapagos finally wailed uncontrollably as he broke free from Liko's grasp and a familiar light overtook him, returning to his Terastal Form and shocking everyone.
Sensing Liko's transformed Tera Pokémon, the feral Keldeo finally took notice of him and gave off an aggressive snarl, preparing to attack him as well. But, Terapagos reacted faster as he expelled his Terastal Energy and caused the Laquium's pink mist to vanish and dispel its aura from the female Colt Pokémon, snapping her out of her feral state and making her collapse (her energy now depleted).
The entire fiasco also caught the attention of Diancie as she arrived in the medical bay from the Dragon Craft alongside Hashimoto, Wang Lun, Kubfu, and Ching Wan and noticed the unconscious female Keldeo.
"Oh! Keldara!" she gasped in alarm, quickly hopping over to the female Keldeo that was actually her friend just as Terapagos returned to his original form and collapsed again.
"Terapagos!" Liko cried, catching him in her arms and prompting Larmina, Topaz, and Garnet to toddle over to them and coo and babble worriedly for their friend.
"Guardeon, Tai Lung! Where are Tony and Jessie? Audino, Blissey, Seth, and Wigglytuff, I need them all here, stat!" Sarah shouted to the Jungle Guard leaders.
The pair nodded as Tai Lung let out a loud whistle and caught the attention of Tony, Jessie, Audino, Blissey, Wigglytuff, and Seth with the Kirlia Siblings using Teleport to bring them all to the medical bay and notice Diancie's unconscious Keldeo friend, Keldera, Mollie's knocked-out Chansey, and the worn-out Terapagos in Liko's arms.
"Help them!" the little princess barked urgently, prompting them to nod knowingly and set to work healing them with Heal Pulse and Aromatherapy.
"Scary...!"
"Wha-what just happened?"
"What's going on here?" Fuecoco, Quaxly, and Floragato gulped just as Marena rushed over to see what the matter was and with her staff at hand.
"What's happened here? I heard all of the hullabaloo coming from the ship next door and I-!" the Sea Witch began before she noticed the covered-up Laquium glowing in Sarah's right hand as she showed it to Friede.
She gasped in shocked horror and anger at her charge as she rushed over to them and snagged the Laquium away from her, taking them by surprise before they saw the Sea Witch glaring at the little princess with a haunted look on her face.
"Where did you get this?" she growled darkly, holding the Laquium in her right hand in front of her royal charge and referring her to it with utter disdain.
"Marena, wait! Listen! It's not what you think, I only brought it here because-!" Sarah began, seeing how much of a state her Dragonstone advisor was in.
"I'll be doing the talking, if you don't mind, Princess! And, until I understand what's going on here, I'll be asking the questions!" Marena snapped as she cut her off, not giving her any time nor room to argue. "...This crystal, the Laquium, I don't recall a sample being in this world by any means... It's not supposed to be outside of Laqua, at all! Now, I'll ask you again and you better give me a straight answer: Where, did, you, get, this...?"
"Hold on a minute, Miss. Let's not be too hasty about this, we'll explain everything. Why don't we start at the beginning?" Jane cut in, trying to pacify the angered Sea Witch before she could continue to lash out at her charge for what she saw was a crime after seeing the Laquium.
Soon, everybody was gathered in the Dragon Craft's dining room to discuss more about the Laquium, how it came to be in the hands of Exceed, and why the crystal in the heroes' possession even made it outside of Laqua in the first place. The atmosphere in the room was tense as everyone became unnerved by Marena's change in attitude and how silent and brooding she became after seeing the Laquium sample (which was laid out in the middle of the dining table), almost as if she knew about the crystal and had bad memories about that led to what they saw as her disdain towards it.
"Now, before we begin, I suppose introductions are in order since I've never seen you before. It's only natural since I was at Dragonstone throughout the adventures my charge and her family and friends went through when you came into the picture," Marena began, looking between Stacey, Hazel, Carla, Jane, her Lucario, Tuck, and Ella.
"Got that right."
"I'll say, you fellas took us by surprise when you arrived with Sarah unexpectedly. But, could you tell us who you all are by any chance?" Cap and Friede agreed since they and the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers hadn't met them beforehand.
"My apologies, everybody. My name's Stacey, I'm an officer of the Adventure City Police and a genetics researcher of ICARIS."
"Hey, there. I'm Tuck and this is my sister, Ella."
"Hi!"
"And, we're the Mighty Twins!"
"Carla and Hazel, nice to meet you."
"We're the mothers of our daughter, Alex, one of the Rakke Corp dragon riders from ICARIS," Stacey, the Mighty Twins, Carla, and Hazel greeted.
"I'm Jane Mitchell and this is my partner: Lucario, Lightspeed Rescue - Gold Ranger," Jane introduced (the male Fighting Type nodding in greeting and the former lifting her left hand and wrist to reveal a Rescue Morpher (shocking and surprising everybody as they realized she was a Power Ranger)). "We're sorry for the unintended and uninvited arrival but your friend, Princess Sarah, asked us to help her and you deal with these Explorers who gave you nothing but grief since they targeted you months ago."
"My friend, Raven, informed us of what was going on including why they were after you in the first place. We get why they're giving you a hard time and we want to help," Stacey continued in agreement.
"Well, there is one thing she forgot to mention. Did she tell you all about my vision of Amethio being betrayed by his own syndicate and he, Onia, and Zirc being forced to strike out on their own before being attacked?" Reader noted.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait! ...What? The Explorers betraying one of their own, are you serious?" Jane puzzled the NightWing Seer.
"My seer, Reader, can see into future events in our universe's timeline, Jane. I'll explain what she meant later but right now, we need to discuss about the Laquium. It's obvious Marena has a history with it along with Terapagos. If anything, I've never seen him react so violently to it after I brought it out to show Friede and everyone what we were doing after we arrived," Sarah replied, looking at the Laquium.
"It's obvious they know about its power and the effects it has on Pokémon," Tai Lung added.
"From what you've told us, Princess, it seems that whenever this Laquium is in a gas form, it causes the Pokémon in range of its power to go into an aggressive state. Their power increases to a rate never known to man but once it'sremoved from them and their bodies, their energy is spent and they become unconscious or go into a coma," Virizion hummed thoughtfully.
"That mist must explain why Diancie's friend, Keldera, rogue and violently lashed out at Mollie's Chansey and Keldeo without warning," Terrakion nodded.
"But, Terapagos' reaction to it was the strangest of them all; he knew about the Laquium somehow and denounced it as evil as he violently squirmed in Liko's arms as she tried to calm him down."
"Then, at the last second, Terapagos regained his Terastal Form without warning and expelled his energy to subdue its light and power, waft the mist away from Keldera, and snap her out of her aggressive trance before she collapsed. It's as if he purified the Laquium's effects with his own energy and acts as some kind of counter to it," Cobalion and Keldeo concurred, intrigued by Terapagos' newfound ability.
"That's amazing! I bet Ms. Briar and Headmaster Cyrano know nothing about this!"
"Yeah, if she finds out about the Laquium and the dangerous effect it has on Pokémon as shown by Keldera's feral state and the mist that made her go mad, she's gonna totally flip," Kieran and Carmine gasped in stunned awe.
"...It scares me, that mist and what it's done to Diancie's friend; she looked to be in so much pain after it somehow touched her," Liko admitted.
"And, we now know that it's the reason why Spinel's Umbreon went crazy in my vision," Reader sighed grimly.
"That's why Exceed's CEO and the board of directors requested Stacey, Carla, Hazel, Lucario, and I to remove it from the vault it was in until the princess arrived," Jane nodded before she turned to Sarah, "Speaking of which, he appreciated us removing it from the vault before Spinel could get it."
Sarah nodded in reply, "Good, and the data on it?"
"We'll go back and collect it later but we'll need a little help to make sure he doesn't find a loophole and gets his hands on it regardless of our efforts."
"If you're looking to plug technical loopholes, I'm your pup!" Aurora perked up, wagging her tail.
Friede hummed thoughtfully as he put a finger on his chin and told everyone, "You know, now that you mention it... Before Cap and I began the Rising Volt Tacklers years ago, I once worked on a project involving the Laquium while being a researcher for Exceed."
"You worked at Exceed, too?!" Carla gasped in shock.
"Now, when did that happen, young man?" Hazel asked, narrowing her eyes in annoyance at the unconventional professor.
"Are you kidding me?!" Sarah balked at him.
Friede could only chuckle as he quipped, "Whoopsie, my bad, ha-ha!"
"Oh, brother," groaned the BA students as they slumped down and sweatdropped at him with everyone else.
Johnathan grinned as he noted, "Given his tendency to fidget in a laboratory and a lab coat, he only worked there for a month. I've no doubt that hasn't changed since then."
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, will ya, John?" Friede glowered with a sigh at his old friend before he continued, "Anyway, when they collected the sample, Exceed decided to give it the name 'Eternal Blessing' after beginning their research on it."
"Did they find anything more about it?" Mallow asked (since she and the rest of Sarah's old friends were told what went down and decided to join them to know more about the Laquium and what it does, too).
"Unfortunately, nothing came of it no matter what they did and they eventually gave up, storing it in the vault where Sarah, Stacey, Jane, Carla, and Hazel retrieved it from."
"Do you think the Laquium sample could somehow be connected to Laqua? I mean, the name can't be a coincidence," Mollie inquired.
"It's possible, itcouldonly come from Laqua. It's named like that for a reason," Kiawe replied.
Hazel concurred with Kiawe's thoughts as she theorized, "Even though it is possible, let's imagine that it grows in this Laqua place you mentioned. It's also akin to the crystals growing naturally in the Hidden World with unique properties no human ever saw before. What's more, Marena did say that it was not supposed to be outside of Laqua given her and Terapagos' reaction to it."
"And, since Terapagos screamed like a banshee and went mad in response to the Laquium and its power once he sensed it, we also know that he knew of it before and what it could do," Tyson informed.
This prompted the little princess to turn to her advisor, thinking she knows more about the Laquium given her reaction to it (especially since she was the only one besides Lucius and the Six Heroes who had been to Laqua and possibly who had more knowledge about it), "Marena... The Laquium, have you, Lucius, and the Six Heroes seen the Laquium before?"
The Sea Witch took a deep breath as she held a distant and hollow gaze in her eyes while staring at the Laquium sample before her, likely recalling painful memories about the cursed crystal as she recalled as best she could, "...The Laquium is a topic I hoped nobody would dare breach since we discovered what it's like. It's a crystal that held a power beyond imagination at most, a force that can enhance or destroy everything around it. The Six Heroes and my husband and I were amongst a small group that encountered it inside of Laqua and it didn't take long for us to realize its potential..."
She paused briefly as her words settled around the room before she continued, "At first, we once thought it was a gift from the land itself-what we called a treasure infused with the energy of the paradise we called home. However, this was not to be as we began to notice a change in our Pokémon from it."
"A change...?"
"...In the Six Heroes and your other Pokémon?"
"Like, how much of a change are we talking about?" Liko, Roy, and Dot inquired curiously.
Marena grew silent again until her face darkened slightly and she revealed, "The power of the Laquium is what we now call...intoxicating. When our Pokémon were first exposed to the crystals, their abilities grew at an exponential rate - their speed, strength, agility, defenses, even their reflexes were heightened to a degree we had never seen. But, it all came at a price we couldn't afford to pay; as time went on, that same energy slowly overtook them. The more they were exposed to its power, they became feral-driven by raw instinct rather than their loyalty to us and our bonds. Sometimes, I had nightmares of those times when the Laquium would make them lose all sense of self and control and they become demons as a result..."
"So, because the Laquium possessed an evil power and Terapagos showed us he could purify it with his Terastal Energy, does that mean he acts as a counterbalance to it?" Friede puzzled, starting to understand what she was alluding to.
"...Yes. Without his Terastal Energy and influence, the dark energy the Laquium leaves on them coursed through their bodies and disrupted their natural balance. They became faster, stronger, and ruthless as a result, unable to control themselves unless Terapagos unleashes his Terastal Energy in his Terastal Form to cure them of that accursed power..."
"Just like it happened with Keldara," Diancie sighed.
"When that happened, Terapagos was forced to unleash all of his Terastal Energy to cure the Pokémon and return them to their original selves. The one who was the most affected by his energy was Rayquaza; his exposure to it gave him his permanent Terastallized form, purifying him as well as Entei, Kleavor, Moltres, Arboliva, and Lapras and that was before he went into his dormant state."
"Wow..." Roy gasped in wonder.
"So, that's why Terapagos blew a gasket and transformed earlier; he protected us and Diancie's friend from the Laquium and you two wanted nothing to do with it," deducted Murdock, amazed.
"Hey, wait... Guys, remember the first three lines of the prophecy Reader told us about? She said, 'A storm will rise with jewels of light in shadows hidden from the brightest sight. Crystals of power, their truth a lie, guide hearts astray beneath the sky. Laquium whisper, danger deep, where secrets stir and shadows creep'. She's talking about the Laquium and the danger it posed!" Roy gasped in realization.
"Sounds like those lines she said came true and what happened to Keldera's the proof."
"All too true, I might add," Friede and Cap noted.
"Did you think any piece of Laqua would've made it out without you and Lucius knowing?" Ludlow questioned the Sea Witch.
"...I didn't, neither of us did. But, if I had to guess, only one person could've done it besides us; a former friend of ours, I should clarify," Marena replied grimly, clenching her fists and closing her eyes as a betrayed look came across her face.
"Who was it?" Orla questioned.
Marena was silent as she stewed her thoughts before finally revealing to everyone within earshot, "...Gibeon."
Everyone gasped and yelled in shock and horror at the reveal, realizing that Gibeon was not only the head of the Explorers but also a former friend of Lucius and Marena who knew about the Laquium as they did.
"...W-Well, I... I suppose I, uh, well... I remember that jerk...telling me about it and Laqua," Lazuli stuttered, flabbergasted as her right eyebrow twitched in disbelief.
"No doubt he did the same to Amethio, Chalce, Spinel, Coral, and Sidian," nodded Arven, stunned.
"T-T-That's impossible, Marena! You're joking with us, right? You and Lucius knew Gibeon all those years ago?! It can't really be the truth!" Ash staggered, unable to deny the reality of the Sea Witch's words.
"Mm-hmm, we're not sure why he wanted to find it but its power is a major player in his ongoing pursuit for Laqua. To be honest, I hope he doesn't get any ideas on what to do with that accursed material," Marena grumbled darkly.
She turned to Lazuli and questioned the swordswoman, "Lazuli, you know about the Explorers' operations including Gibeon and his hunt for the Laquium. What else do you know about him, specifically?"
Lazuli grew silent as she pondered over what she knew about the Explorers until she thought back to Amethio and decided to say, "...There is one thing I'm sure of and it concerns Amethio. Gibeon...is his grandfather and he's...his grandson."
Everyone was shocked but this time, while everyone else gasped a second time, the majority yelled in disbelief, "WHAAAAAAAT?!"
"H-His grandfather?!"
"Amethio is Gibeon's grandson!?"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Dot, Roy, and Liko shouted, looking aghast while their partners went pale.
Lazuli nodded in grim confirmation before she looked at the Sea Witch (who was silent but brooding over the reveal) and said, "I take it you somehow heard about it from the Spirit of Knowledge your kid told me about and heard about their relationship from Reader's fellow seers and predecessors, right?"
Marena sighed and nodded, "I had hoped it would be a joke when I first heard about them but it was true."
"So, is that why Terapagos cried at him after we met Diana at her castle base in the Galar Region?" pondered Roy, recalling one of the group's previous confrontations with Amethio, Onia, and Zirc.
"It would make sense given that you and the Six Heroes once went to Laqua back then," Friede mused thoughtfully.
Suddenly, Lazuli gasped in disbelief and snapped her fingers, "Of course! Why am I so damn stupid?! I remember now; I get why Amethio and Spinel are always butting heads with each other!"
"What's up, Lazuli?" Kieran questioned.
"Amethio's related to Gibeon by blood and Spinel had no such connection with him. To Spinel, he's nothing but a roadblock given their blood ties. So, in that sense, he knows that if he could get him booted out of the Explorers at some point and earn Gibeon's favor in the process, his plans would go full steam ahead."
"Huh! So, that wretched creature's jealous of Gibeon's own grandson... That means he's nothing compared to them given their blood connections, and despite being the brains behind their endeavors with Chalce's dark genius coming second to his own, he feels overshadowed by Amethio and is setting out to get him expelled from the Explorers so he can gain favor with Gibeon... And, once he's out of the way, he'll be killed off somehow. The bastard, he truly is a mad heartless doctor!" hissed Tsukumaro in disgust as he briefly walked off and smacked his hand on the table over Spinel's jealousy and contempt for Amethio and his machinations.
"And, if he saw Amethio with the Tera Orb Hamber gave him after he completed his recent training session with the guy, no doubt he'll blow a gasket in private. He'll be one step behind him despite his planning for the Explorers' next and future objectives," added Race, concerned.
"...I see."
"So, that's why he's doing all of this and why he's after Terapagos, Larmina, Garnet, Topaz, and the Six Heroes," Carmine and Liko breathed, now understanding Amethio's objectives and the pressure that was put on him.
"But, if that's the case, why am I the only one feeling like they have an on-off relationship akin to that of Hiccup and Stoick before my family and I went to Berk?" Sarah pointed out.
"It does seem like that now that I think about it given what you told us," Asha replied, crossing her arms thoughtfully.
The Sea Witch couldn't help but grimly confirm, "You're not wrong. But, still... Gibeon is cold-hearted and notoriously pragmatic at best, he'll do anything to achieve his goals regardless of whether they are good or evil. But, he's not the only one who's more than heartless enough to forsake everyone for his achievements. While Lucius and I had Rayquaza in our family and ranks, he also had a Shiny Pokémon connected to Laqua who became his partner."
"And, who is that Pokémon, exactly?" Gladion questioned.
"...A Shiny Zygarde."
The Rising Volt Tacklers, Arven, and the BA students gasped in horror but Ash, Gladion, Hau, and the Pokémon School Gang screamed, "A SHINY ZYGARDE?!"
"Gibeon's partner is-!"
"A Shiny Zygarde?!" balked Drayton and Lacey, horrified that Gibeon would have a Shiny counterpart to the original Land Pokémon of the Kalo Region's Aura Trio.
"Your and Lucius' former friend had a Zygarde on him?" quizzed a stunned Ludlow.
"He wanted the Laquium after learning about its power and wanting to harness it, and unfortunately, Zygarde felt the same way after they met and he was exposed to its power at some point. My darling and I were shocked when he told us about harnessing the Laquium and we wouldn't allow it; we forbade him from broaching the topic to us after we saw how devastating it could truly be to our Pokémon and kept a close watch on him, keeping him away from that crystalline menace. Gibeon was furious at this and we fought... The argument eventually devolved to the point when we and the Six Heroes were forced to fight him and his Shiny Zygarde. We fought well but they had us on the ropes until Rayquaza and his strength saved us and became the Hail Mary we needed to win and force them into exile."
"And, that's what prompted you two to protect the Six Heroes by splitting them up even though you kept Entei and Kleavor with you," Murdock answered knowingly to her.
A single tear fell from Marena's right eye as she thought about Lucius and nodded again, "Yes. And, it coincided with the memory Terapagos and Lapras had shown us: Lucius ultimately decided to stay in Laqua to ensure the Laquium never fell into Gibeon's hands or those of the Explorers again. I only hope that...he didn't break his promise...to not die..."
"...Ms. Marena, we're sorry. We had no idea," Breezeon replied, feeling sorry for the Sea Witch as she cried for Lucius.
"Well, this sucks balls. The Big Boss has a souped-up Zygarde and he's currently at large, what are we gonna do?" groaned Brawleon.
"You forget, Young Brawleon; the princess has her own Zygarde with her to combat Gibeon's partner should we ever meet them at some point," Ghost (Dragapult) reminded, raising an eyebrow at Brawleon.
Jane was astonished as she whirled at Sarah and barked, "You have a Zygarde on you?!"
"I'll explain later, Jane," Sarah said calmly.
"Heh! He doesn't sound so tough! I'm sure we can pound him to Timbuktu and knock him out of Laqua should he trespass there again, right, Bro?" Scrappy snarked as he gave Scooby a brotherly smack on the back.
Scooby grunted from his hard pat and half-heartedly replied, "Uh, right, heh..."
"Well, now that we know Amethio and Gibeon are related to each other by blood, at least we got a clear picture of why Spinel despises him so much," Mollie frowned.
"I would say this relates to how my uncle and I are with each other but Gibeon would be worse than him given what he had done and how far he's willing to go to get the Laquium," Sarah admitted in dismay before she heard Diancie coming into the dining room. "Hey, Diancie... Your Keldeo friend, how is she? How did you know her?"
"She's fine; she's sleeping easily but it'll take a while for her to recover from the effects of that crystal you have there. Truth be told, Keldara is a close friend of my male Keldeo friend: Daga. She always had a heart for adventure and spent her time roaming Paldea. But, two weeks ago, she suddenly vanished before my other friends and I met all of you. We never knew what happened to her as she left no trace of her presence...until now," the Diamond Pokémon replied solemnly.
"I wouldn't be surprised if Spinel somehow captured Keldara and used her as a guinea pig for an experiment involving the Laquium in secrecy and left them in the vault since it worked too well for him."
"It would make sense since he was once a scientist for Exceed," Stacey and Carla theorized with Hazel nodding in agreement.
"He's psychotic to a tee with what he does," Lazuli shrugged.
"Still, there's one thing I'm worried about regarding Amethio," Sarah noted.
"What's that?" Dot questioned curiously.
"We all know that Gibeon is his grandfather and he's his grandson so they're related by blood. But, what Reader's premonition didn't tell us about was what happened to his parents, what became of his mom and dad?"
Everyone was silent as theyturned to Lazuli for answers but the swordswoman leaned back along the wall she was standing nearby and crossed her arms, only replying, "Don't look at me, I don't know much about their family dynamic. That old man doesn't talk about them, the only time he mentioned anything about his grandson's loved ones was when I pushed him to tell me why they are even family if they're not around. He snapped at me but because I was his best operative, he felt a little bad and apologized, only telling me that his son 'strayed from the path'. He's not genuine in his words and attitude as far as I could tell so to play Devil's Advocate, I think they're either killed off or forced to escape his wrath while faking their deaths and leaving Amethio in his hands against their will. Either way, it's beyond my understanding."
"...That's...not painting a bright picture of their relationship."
"No kidding, I bet they hardly even have a family relationship, at all," Murdock and Orla muttered, unnerved.
"That's how it is with that fool, you two. Gibeon always had a rocky relationship with his family and anybody related to him doesn't have very high opinions of the bastard, Amethio's mother and father, especially," Marena sighed with a snort.
"...That's too bad, for Amethio, I think. Still, if your seer said the Explorers will betray him soon according to her vision, do you think he'll change?" Jane asked Sarah.
Sarah thought of Jarrod and Camille before she told the Gold Lightspeed Ranger, "That's up to him. I can't control what he does between now and thenandhis future. What happens to him afterwards, I don't know..."
"Well, given what we're in for, you ladies are gonna be on the bandwagon for a while?" Arven asked the ladies.
"Hey, yeah! That's great! Come on, Friede, can we have them join the Rising Volt Tacklers?"
"They'll be a great help since they got the Laquium to us with Sarah! Who knows, they'll help us with a few things on the Brave Olivine, too!" Roy and Liko grinned eagerly at the unconventional professor.
"I won't mind helping if Ryder's fine with that."
"Me, too!" Tuck and Ella added.
Friede pondered for a moment before he smirked at Cap, asking him, "Well, Cap, what do you think?"
Cap eyed the three scientists and the two Mighty Pups carefully as he thought over everything he and everyone else were told but it didn't take him long to smirk and give his approval, "Sign 'em up, pal."
Friede smirked back and turned to the five new recruits before them, "Alright, then, ladies, pups! Welcome to the Rising Volt Tacklers as per Cap and his Seal of Approval!"
Tuck and Ella howled excitedly and Stacey, Carla, and Hazel smiled at them while Jane saluted the pair and replied to Cap, "Thank you, Captain, we won't disappoint you."
Cap continued to smirk as he told her, "I know you won't."
"Well, we still got time to kill before returning to the academy. Anybody feel like joining us for the rest of our Basics tests before we backtrack?" Drayton asked, preparing to leave.
"We won't mind if you ladies and the pups come with us, Doctor. We have to do our reports for Mr. Jacq when we're done with our tests, anyway," Carmine offered in agreement.
"I'll let Alex and the rest of the Rakke Corp know you're on an extended business trip with us in the meantime," Sarah added.
"We don't mind, it'll be lovely to see more of Paldea while we're here," Carla smiled.
"Sure, Princess, I'll call Father, Dana, and Ryan and let them know I'm staying for this case," Jane nodded appreciatively.
"Thank you, all of you," thanked her Lucario, bowing.
To Be Continued...
In Between Chapter: Great Book of Disney: Frozen Fever Short
Occurred Events
Sarah visits Exceed for the first time
She reunites with Dr. Stacey, Carla and Hazel Gonzalez
Sarah meetsJane Mitchelland her Lucario for the first time
Sarah finds a female Keldeo namedKeldara(another one of Diancie's friends) infected with the Laquium Mist
Terapagos (Liko's) purifies the Colt Pokemon revealing that it can purify the effects of Laquium on a Pokemon and that they are opposites from each other
Stacey, Jane, Carla and Hazel, Tuck and Ella join the Rising Volt Tacklers
Marena reveals her, Lucius and the Six Heroes encounter with Laquium in Laqua