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.

61. Wattrel and Kilowattrel, High Winds

Liko -Now, that we've all completed and passed our Basics Tests in the Terastal Course, we're returning to Uva Academy and writing down our reports on wild Pokémon for Mr. Jacq

Next day (September 16th - Day 13 of the Terastal Course) came and our heroes are out and about continuing their research into wild Pokémon for their reports for Jacq as they return to Uva Academy following the completion of Liko's report on the Flower Pillar.

With the young girl in question, she found a small flock of White Plumage Squawkabilly minding their own business on a tree branch, making her beam as she looked them up on her Rotom Phone, "Wow! Those Squawkabilly are a different color from Grandma's partner!"

"Squawkabilly, the Parrot Pokémon. A Normal and Flying Type, White Plumage; white ones have a strong sense of community and survive in the wild by cooperating with their allies."

"Whoa... Amazing, okay. This time, I have to get a video of them," Liko quipped determinedly as she tried to take a video.

However, as she prepared to record them, when she turned the camera on, she realized she had it flipped on herself in Selfie Mode. And, when she flipped it back the right way around, to her dismay, the White Plumage Squawkabilly flock immediately flew away.

"Mmm... Boy, getting wild Pokémon to relax around you while you're doing research is harder than it looks," she mused as she continued to find a wild Pokémon to use for the group's reports.

Her luck was supposedly getting better when Floragato decided to climb a tree and find any other wild Pokémon living amongst the large foliage and found a wild Komala and Pachirisu. Terapagos even found and played with a wild Dunsparce in the meantime.

As for Dot, she was behind some Applin and began to take photos and record them on video. But, her hopes for uninterrupted research for the gang's reports were dashed when Tinkatink happily charged at them and tried to hit them with her hammer, making them roll away in panic.

"Ah, Tinkatink! Please, cut it out!" she begged quietly and yet frantically, trying to keep her attention and camera on the Applin.

Quaxly, meanwhile, was admiring a wild female Steenee as she became a model for him. With Roy and Fuecoco, they were able to find a small Shroomie in the grass from where they are (We'll get back to the young adventurer later).

Lazuli was back at the campsite putting the final touches on her report centering around the Tera Raid Dens and her observations on the Tera Crystals, satisfied with what she wrote and now feeling confident about getting a good grade from Jacq on it. While she was doing that, Daisy and Honchkrow were currently training under Sabreak, Tigarmer, and Staguar's wing.

Naturally, when they first got them, Sarah and Race were curious about their Avatar-like Pokémon but according to the trio themselves, they are used as mounts akin to Mudsdale and Rapidash with their gender ratios ranging at around 30% with males and 70% with females.

In Tigarmer's case, his primary ability is Battle Armor; Sabreak had two abilities in the form of Rock Head and Tough Claws (meaning his species could only choose between one of them (his primary ability being Rock Head)) and his hidden ability is Anger Point; and, finally, Staguar's primary ability can be divided between Tough Claws or Competitive while having Flurry as his hidden ability (with his main ability being Tough Claws).

Their pre-evolved forms were also an intriguing case; Tigarmer's pre-evolved form is the cute and tiny Rock/Ground Type known as Meround (who shared his coloration but always ended up rolled up in its shell while having its tiny cat-like face out and two yellow paws sticking out from underneath, standing only at 2'01"); Sabreak's pre-evolved form was the Fighting Type called Calffi (standing at 2'00" and resembling the Saber-Tooth Moose Lion cub while sharing his coloration and having tiny nubs for horns); and, Staguar's pre-evolved form is Carimew, sharing his body structure but with a slightly darker shade of blue with tiny diamond-shaped spots on its body, face, and legs but with two under-developed but growing antlers.

Now, Gerudeon did poke fun at Sarah with making more of the trio's pre-evolved forms but the little princess told her she would have to wait until she was sure she would want more of their pre-evolved forms running around (especially since they were still young and technically babies despite their sizes).

With their family, after breakfast, Tot, Nano, Mini, Tiny, Midge, and Pebble went with Stoutland after encouraging him to look for treasure in the field during the heroes' time in the area (and wanting him to stretch his abilities as a seasoned treasure hunter). The elderly Big-Hearted Pokémon couldn't say 'No' to them, especially since he felt he needed the exercise and to see if he hadn't gotten rusty with his treasure-hunting skills.

---

Meanwhile, Marena was flying with Rayquaza and Moltres along the clouds alongside Luminoth, Verdant, Sarah and Race's Dragon Family, Pyrrah, Avel, Tesla, Flygon, Dragonite, Hydregion, Corviknight, Staraptor, Salamance, Kaji, Amber, Breezeon, Ghost (Dragapult), Altaria, Claudia, Mew, Seth, Cresselia, Nitro, Talonflame (Shiny), Polar, Ivory, Ivy, Swirl, Delosky, Gryphincent, Opal, Rompiregon, Brave, Spherialla, Panthagle, Frosmoth, Noctowl, Braviary (Shiny), Beautifly, Hootie, Flynn, and the Westeros Dragons.

Race was with them to get some fresh air as he rode on Falcon's back with Gulie, Gorie, Calculator, Kit, Ella, Orpheus, Iron Moth, Bolt, Red and Blue, Peacock, Adhira, Orion, Orchard, Callisto, and Sunce joining the former Battle Frontier Champion to stretch their wings. It was a feeling they sorely missed and they wanted to savor it as much as they can before they and the others would return to the academy after completing their reports.

"WHOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOO!" Bolt hollered as they all flew in the air.

"I MISS LEASURELY FLIGHTS LIKE THIS WHENEVER YOU AND FATHER WERE TOGETHER, MOTHER," Rayquaza purred to Marena as the Sea Witch rode on his head.

"So do I, Rayquaza. So do I," she replied, musing over the days she and Lucius would fly aboard their dear friend before Gibeon's betrayal and their family's fated separation.

"I'm hoping we'll keep doing this once everything falls into place and we find him again," Moltres cut in knowingly as he flew alongside the pair.

With Silvally, he was training again but with Jane's Zeraora and Kieran, Drayton, and their Dragonites as his sparring partners in a Master Triangle sparring match. During the battle, the two BA students, their Dragon Pokémon, and the Gold Lightspeed Ranger's Thunderclap Pokémon were able to help him learn Flame Charge as well as Razor Wind, Shadow Ball, and Metal Sound (thus putting him on equal footing with his and Tou-Tou's eldest brother much to Sarah's amusement).

Even the rest of her Pokémon learned new moves for their move sets with Sora, Tony, Jessie, Espathra, and Ethan the next candidates for her training regime.

Racheal and Richard trained with Mew to learn Electro Ball, Charm, Discharge and Trailblaze, Samson trained with Sakura to learn Petal Blizzard, Reflect and Light Screen, Blastoise (now with his own Blastoiseite that Sarah purchased in the Battle Tree on Poni Island last year) was learning Flash Cannon, Iron Defense and Shell Smash from Cobalion, Zamazenta and Turtonator.

Kieran and Sarah's Hydrapples' helped Flapple learn Grav Apple, Sunny Day and Bullet Seed, Lacey's Whimscott trained Chestnaught whom learned Magical Leaf and Shadow Claw.

Carmine's wise Tocannon took Staraptor and Corviknight under his wing and teach them Feather Dance, Hurricane and Air Slash (Starpator) andMetal Claw, Metal Sound and Bulk Up (Corviknight), Silvally helped Dachsbun learn the Elemental Fang attacks, specifically Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang and Lacey's Primarina helped teach her Alluring Voice and Meowzie, Garfield, Simon, Bengal, Mint and Neko all learned Metal Claw, Snarl and Aerial Ace from Spartan and Lolita.

---

Back with Roy, after finding the wild Shroomie, he came across a wild Capsakid (which he immediately scanned).

"Capsakid, the Spicy Pepper Pokémon. A Grass Type; the more sunlight it absorbs into its body, the more spicy chemicals its body produces. Some traditional Paldean cuisine is extremely spicy due to the use of Capsakid's shed front teeth."

"Extremely spicy, huh?" Roy grinned as Fuecoco came up to him with a Pinap Berry.

"Try giving him this, Roy," he offered.

"A Pinap Berry? Great, thanks Fuecoco, let's see if he likes it," Roy stated eagerly, gently rolling the berry to the Spicy Pepper Pokémon who noticed, tapped, and happily gobbled it. "Yeah! It's already eating it!"

Wattrel soon spotted another Pinap Berry and picked it up to give to Roy so he could offer it to Capsakid. But, he was too late as he saw Fuecoco already giving his partner another one for the Grass Type (making him blink in surprise at the pair). Annoyed by this, he threw away the berry he found and went to fetch a bigger Pinap Berry but the carefree Fire Croc Pokémon brought three of them to the young adventurer by the time he brought it over.

"The Pokedex said that traditional Paldean cuisine is super spicy because of the front teeth Capsakid sheds. But, how spicy can it be with them added? I've got to try some or maybe those front teeth at some point!" Roy beamed, wanting to try the new spicy addition he just learned about.

"Here, Roy, how about this?" Fuecoco offered, handing his partner another Pinap Berry.

"Wrong. He'll need to give him this," Wattrel rebutted.

But, the commotion they stirred only alerted the Spicy Pepper Pokémon as it realized where the berries were coming from and scurried away with surprising speed and agility. Roy was dismayed by this and Fuecoco walked off while Wattrel, undeterred, found some more berries in a nearby tree. He tried to fly up to them after spreading his winds but a burst of wind knocked him off course and brought him back to terra-firma.

"Damn it!" the Storm Petrel Pokémon hissed.

"Allow me," Fuecoco chirped as he used Flame Charge to rush the tree and bring a ripe berry down despite it being scorched just as Sarah, Liko, Asha, Roy, and Arven came over and Wattrel balked at him.

"Looks like Fuecoco's getting better with his Flame Charge," Dot complimented.

"Thanks, Dot!" Fuecoco laughed in thanks.

"Grilled Berries sound like a good idea and a yummy one at that, huh?" Liko smiled at him.

But, Fuecoco's actions and the praise he earned from the young recluse and the young girl for them made Wattrel feel unappreciated and more like a second fiddle compared to the young adventurer's partner. Angered and humiliated, he walked off in a huff, much to Roy's surprise as he noticed his little Electric Type leaving.

"Wattrel?" he questioned, wondering what was bugging him.

But, he wasn't the only one to notice how put upon Wattrel was becoming by Fuecoco as Arven also noticed him leaving and frowned with great concern for the little Storm Petrel Pokémon. Even Mabosstiff (who was with his best friend) couldn't help but wonder what was eating away at Wattrel and what made him so bitter towards Roy's partner despite being on equal terms with him and their friend.

However, while Arven, Liko, Roy, and Dot are occupied with Fuecoco and Wattrel, nobody including Race and Asha notices Sarah hearing a series of frantic and pained cries in the distance from where they are as she turns to the forest behind them.

"...What, was that?" she mused as the pained cries continued, making a mental note to check for the source later.

---

(Theme Song - Hiten (TV Size - Rurouni Kenshin (2023)) ft. AyaseR-Shitei) Pokémon Horizons Pt. 3: Terastal Debut Ver.

~Kizu ari no sasurai no mi, itami ni donkan na boku tachi~ (Wounded wanderer, we are insensitive to pain!)

~Mou sabitsuitari wa shinai, nozarashi joutou no kissaki~ (Won't rust anymore, exposed to the elements, our blades are sharp!)

Our opening to Part 3 of Liko, Roy, and Dot's journey with the Rising Volt Tacklers and the Alolan Royal Family begins as Liko and Floragato walk out of Uva Academy's gates together before the young girl greets the readers/viewers first and she's later shown holding a Pokeball as they walked along. Roy then greets the viewers/readers before he is shown walking with Fuecoco and Dot and Quaxly following suit as the young recluse greets the viewers/readers herself. After Dot greets the viewers/readers, Sarah, Race, and their family are shown with the Paldea School Gang and their Partner Pokémon

Akumade mo kankaku teki ni, tadashii to omoeta michi wo~ (Always instinctively, we've been running, deceiving ourselves)

Boku tachi wa damashi damashi hashitte kitan da, machigai no hitotsu ya futatsu wa atta~ (Along a path that seemed right to us, there may have been a mistake or two)

Our Horizons Trio, Quaxly, Floragato, and Fuecoco are seen with Galaxagus (with Lazuli on his back), Char, Serrate, Plume, Breeze, and Shadow and his fellow Night Furies flying overhead beside Mistral (who was in her Dragon Form). Next, the group was shown with their Pokémon, mythicals, dinosaurs, and dragons enjoying sandwiches by a campfire at night.

Surikomareta soutai teki na, shiawase ni kyoumi nado nai~ (Ingrained relative happiness but we have no interest in it)

Yuzurenai mono mamoru tame kono, atama wo hineru katana wo nigiru~ (To protect what we can't give up, we grasp the sword that twists our minds)

Then, the group was shown trudging through a snowstorm as Articuno flew above them and Glastrier and Glacial covered them from either side, all keeping a watchful eye for anything that could give them trouble during the frigid blizzard. As our heroes then laid down on the grass (happy over the chance to catch a break after wandering around together), we are shown various Pokémon that reside in Paldea from the nearby trees and brush including a Kingambit.

Juujiro de kousa, kinou no you da, kioku no oku de me wo samasu douran~ (Intersecting at the crossroads, it feels like yesterday, disturbances awaken in the depths of memory)

Itomo kantan, miiraresou da, makka na ame ga kanaderu chinkonka~ (So easily, it could enchant us, a requiem played by the crimson rain)

A singalong shot features Ann and Nemona on the bench closest to the camera with Liko, Sarah, and Kieran directly behind them in the middle, Dot, Penny, and Race on the left, and Roy and Carmine on the right with Ann's evolved Dewott, Kieran's Hydrapple, Carmine's Mightyena, and Pawmot jumping and cheering to the beat first and Floragato, Quaxly, Blitz, Bella, and Fuecoco doing the same afterward. Soon after, we are greeted by good ol' Captain Pikachu, Friede, and the unconventional professor's Charizard as they smirk at the viewers/readers.

Hakanaku chiru mouja temaneiteru monban, mi no uchi kara yakitsukusu gouka~ (The fleeting undead beckon as the inferno consumes from within)

Jigoku darou ga, tengoku darou ga, miteru mae saki wo isogou ka~ (Whether it's hell or whether it's heaven, should we hurry ahead before our eyes?)

Amid a sunset or sunrise before them, Sarah, Race, their Pokemon, dragons, dinosaurs, and mythicals, joined by Diancie and her friends, Lazuli, Breeze, Galaxagus, Pantherra, Dragonite, Honchcrow, Timburr, Delight, Woobat, Gengar, Mismagius, Roggenrola, Lacey, Granbull, Drayton, Flygon, Crispin, Taloneflame, Metagross, Amarys, Incinearoar, Kieran, Mightyena, Carmine, Liko, Floragato, Serrate, Roy, Char, Fuecoco, Dot, Plume, and Quaxly braced themselves, ready for what lies ahead of them.

Kizu mamire nan da tokku ni, kasabuta mou ichido hagashi~

(Covered in scars long ago, peeling off scabs once again!)Hiten takaku tobitatsu tame ni~ (To soar high into the sky!)

We are then shown Sidian, Coral, Garganacl, and Glalie as the two Explorers are in disguise, going incognito for a supposed mission of espionage for their comrades, Hamber, and Gibeon by secretly learning about the Terastal Phenomenon.

Tatoe kyou ga kusatta hi demo, asu ga motto owatteitemo~ (Even if today is a rotten day, even if tomorrow is even worse)

Returning to Dot, Liko, and Roy, they unleash the power of their newly-gained Tera Orbs amidst three Tera symbols glowing in their respective colors and Tera Crystals appearing after. Through the power of Terastallization, Floragato, Fuecoco, and Quaxly Terastallize, thus becoming a Tera Grass Type, a Tera Fire Type, and a Tera Water Type respectively.

Hitori kurai wa konna no demo, aishite kureru to honki de shinjiteru ze~ (I truly believe that at least one person will love me, even in this state)

Amid the approving stares of Jacq, Clavell, Geeta, and Dendr and a nonchalant stare from a disguised Chalce, Liko, Roy, Dot, and their partners run across a field to join their friends and face the challenges the Terastal Course provided for them as we're shown transitions of Paldea's Gym Leaders, the Paldea Elite Four, and their respective Partner Pokémon they would formally meet throughout the course: Katy and Teddiursa, Brassius and Sudowoodo, Iono and Bellibolt, Kofu and Wugtrio, Tulip and Espathra, Ryme and Houndstone, Grusha and Cetitan, Larry and Staraptor and Flamigo, Hassel and Baxcalibur, Poppy and Tinkie, and Rika and Clodsire.

Aa itsuka itsu no hi ni ka, doro no naka ni saite kumo no ue de chiru no sa~ (Ah, someday, somehow, blooming in the mud, scattering in the clouds)

Liko is then shown preparing to eat a sandwich she prepared only for Floragato to jump in and cheekily snatch it from her. Then, we see one of her eyes as it crystalizes as if Terastallization or something else dazzles and amazes her.

Aa baka mitai na hibi wo, ikinuite miseru no sa~ (Ah, those foolish days, I'll show you that I can survive them)

Finally, we see the heroes on a hill overlooking a stunning view as Lucius' Moltres and Rayquaza (with Marena riding on the latter's back again) soar overhead into the heavens before the opening closes with multiple Pokeballs thrown in the air before they become the new main titles and Cap, Blitz, Rosie, Chili, and Crest appear and wink at the viewers/readers, smirking together.

The Trials of Sarah - Pokemon Horizons Pt. 3: Terastal Debut

---

Dusk fell by the time everyone completed their research for the day and sat down to dinner with the Pokémon, dragons, and mythicals having their chosen meals to eat as the heroes discussed and went over their research efforts on the wild Pokémon around them for their reports.

"Well, I guess that's about it for today. We still got time before we return to the academy so we can squeeze in a few more days or so on Pokémon we haven't seen before," said Carmine.

"I'll say. I hope everything we found so far will be enough for our reports to Mr. Jacq," agreed Lacey.

"What did you do, Liko?" Amarys began as Liko showed her and Dot her attempt at recording the White Plumage Squawkabilly she found.

"Well... Therewasa small flock of White Plumage Squawkabilly I found earlier today. But, I must've, accidentally..." Liko smiled sheepishly, unsure of how to tell everyone she opened her Rotom Phone's camera and had it on Selfie Mode when she did so.

"Wait, White Plumage Squawkabilly?! Are you serious?" Dot gasped in amazement.

"...But, I couldn't get a good video after opening my camera in Selfie Mode. It is pretty bad, I'll say that."

The young recluse was dismayed as she muttered to her, "That's such a waste, Liko! The White Plumage Squawkabilly are considered the rarest of all Squawkabilly but you can't hope to use a video like this in a school report for Uva Academy, can you?"

"I guess..."

"What about you, Dot, Did you find any Pokémon do your next report on?" Crispin quizzed.

"Well, sad to say... Nothing to write home about, exactly," Dot admitted before she turned to Roy who was too busy observing a video he took of Wattrel's failed attempt to get a Sitrus Berry. "What say you, Roy? Any luck?"

"...Actually, look at this," he replied, showing them the video he took.

"Hey, isn't that your Wattrel from earlier today?" Kieran puzzled curiously.

"Wait... Now that I think of it; when you and Fuecoco first met Wattrel, he was originally terrified of flying but you trained him that day and helped him overcome his aerophobia, right?" blinked Liko as she recalled her adventurous friend's first meeting with the little Storm Petrel Pokémon.

"Yeah... He's gotten much better with his flying and his aerophobia's not much of a problem since then. But, still, I am worried for him; whenever a strong breeze comes up, he falls back down and gives up without trying again. I just wish I could help him gain more confidence in his wings somehow," he admitted worriedly.

Sarah was curious about what Roy told everyone about Wattrel's current flying progress and she asked him, "Hey, Roy, don't you think part of the problem revolves around you?"

"What do you mean?"

Race then chimed in, seeing where his wife was going, "Think about it; Wattrel's not as confident in his flying and wings despite his progress since you first met him and found out about his aerophobia, right? You remember Hiccup telling you what he did for Toothless days after he caused him to lose his left tail fin and helped him fly with a new prosthetic fin, do you?"

"Yeah."

"Did you help Wattrel with his flying more often during our downtime before you were enrolled in the Terastal Course? I don't think you've given him as much attention as you thought; you've had him stuck in his Pokeball most of the time since you caught him and the only time he had been flying recently was when he helped us protect Lucius' Rayquaza from the Explorers. He and Ash's Rowlet would've been goners had Mary's Honchkrow not jumped in and saved them when Chalce had her Medicham use Psybeam."

"And, what's more, he had no training since then on how to tackle varying wind currents to cope with his small size so he's on an uneven playing field compared to the rest of our Pokémon and Fuecoco," concurred Carmine after she got the gist of the Race was telling the young adventurer.

Arven couldn't help but agree as he told Roy (trying to put his upcoming words to him as gently as he could), "I'm pretty sure in his current state, Wattrel feels like he's becoming a second fiddle and can't do much for you compared to Fuecoco. As long as his small size and stature keep him grounded, he won't be of much use to you, especially when you take your Implementations test after we complete our mid-term interquel back at the academy."

Roy frowned sadly as he looked down while the Pokémon Chef continued, trying to reassure him as best he could, "We know you tried your best with him, Roy, but you unintentionally keep putting him off to the side as you did down to the point of borderline neglect. Besides, a good Pokémon's only as strong as its weakest link in the chain alongside the trainer, right?"

"IT'S AS I SAID BEFORE, A WEAK AND INCONSIDERATE TRAINER LIKE THAT RUNT WITH WIMPY LITTLE POKEMON CAN'T HOPE TO CHALLENGE ME AGAIN," Rayquaza huffed bluntly from his family's spot.

"Rayquaza!" Marena shot at him disappointingly.

"Brother, please! Control yourself!" chastised Arboliva in agreement.

"Don't be absurd, Brother! Young Roy may not look like much still but he and his Pokémon showed a lot of promise when he passed Brassius' Basics test in Artazon and you know it!" Entei argued, appalled and shocked by how brief and blunt Rayquaza was about Roy and his Pokémon.

"OH, I WOULDN'T BE SO QUICK TO ASSUME HE'S GOT WHAT IT TAKES PUT MY FAITH IN THE KID, ENTEI."

"It's a fact, not an assumption! He still has much to learn but he and his Pokémon are growing remarkably as of late! We just need to give them more time to prove themselves to you as they have done so days ago alongside their friends! Let me remind you that you were bested by them at Levincia Lighthouse thanks to Young Roy and Ms. Liko giving themselves, their partners, and everyone with them a hail mary when they refused to give up after you pushed them into a corner they couldn't get out of. You can't be serious about dismissing them early on, especially when they had so much potential on them."

But, all Roy could do was frown sadly again as he looked at Wattrel (who felt bad about Rayquaza putting his trainer and friend down so bluntly and thought he was a major part of why he and his team couldn't challenge him a third time yet). Char noticed the Storm Petrel Pokémon's sadness for Roy and himself in his current state as he went over to him and gave the little Electric/Flying Type a gentle nuzzle.

"Char... Am I really a burden to Roy, to Fuecoco...and everyone as I am now?" Wattrel chirped to the Monstrous Nightmare quietly.

"Don't let him get to ya, kid. You're more than what you are right now, you just have to learn to believe in yourself," Char purred reassuringly.

"Yeah, Mr. Grumpy Snake's blowing hot air, Uncle Roy. You and his team will beat him one day," Comet added reassuringly as she joined Roy.

"I HEARD THAT!" barked Rayquaza indignantly, already hating Comet's nickname for him.

"You think that's stupid of a nickname? I got her calling me 'Black Skeletor' at times which sucks, honestly," Eternatus sympathized as he floated over to him.

"You know what they always say, 'Practice makes perfect'!"

"Pretty sure, he'll evolve into a strong and big Kilowattrel and show those wind gusts who's boss," Long Long and the Rooster Renling, Ji Ji (having rooster-like features including a sleek body, comb-like adornments, striking sunshine yellow hair, and large authoritative eyes), chirped encouragingly.

"I'm sure a few others in our group can relate to Wattrel's plight, Roy," Sarah put in just as a series of tiny roars sounded off, prompting a group of baby dinosaurs to arrive and play with Angel, Rebel, and the Chibi 13 as they knocked each other about.

They were none other than Bumpy's new Ankylosaurus siblings: Amber (Ankylosaurus), Sunbeam, Sandy (Ankylosaurus), Tawny, Honey, Cinnamon, Pine, Butterscotch, Rusty, and Toffee. All of her siblings (who hatched from their eggs a few days ago and grew to Avel's size in a short time) had cream markings on their legs yet all had different colorations from her sisters' colors ranging from a tan-like brown with golden-brown eyes, golden brown and sandy brown, gold, and dull orange to her brothers' rusty orange and golden brown.

"I sssstill can't believe Mr. Bowssssser and Ms. Maple had thisssss many babiesssss on them," She She admitted, seeing the baby dinosaurs playing happily.

"But, they're all so cute. Was Bumpy that tiny when you first met her, Sarah?" Hu Hu (who sported red fur with black stripes on his body, similar black markings on his forehead, gold eyes, and yellow hair as the Tiger Renling) asked the little princess.

"Yep, she was that small after my godfather and I found her but she's grown into her sub-adult stage in two weeks. And, during that time, Blue and the other raptors with her were already adults," Sarah nodded, staring at Blue, Panthera, and their siblings relaxing together as Firestar, Bluestar, Ripper, Tsar, Zalkia, Fang, Billy, and Topsy mingled with Bumpy's family and Diancie and her friends.

"Any plans to find and make more friends for your dinosaur companions?" Ma Ma (sporting a red body and a flowing golden yellow mane and tail as the Horse Renling) questioned.

"Maybe, maybe not, it all depends... But, right now, I'm gonna train the Raptors, Zalkia, and Fang to get them back into shape when I can."

"I'm not surprised given how they made themselves loyal but deadly prehistoric house pets for you," Lazuli joked.

---

That night, after dinner, while everybody else fell asleep, Sarah was wide awake in the laboratory area of her tent, working on some new (and long overdue) Beast-X Dragon Armor for her remaining dragons:

- Lilac's new armor shimmered in dark purple and pink hues, augmenting her firepower despite her small stature

- The aquamarine armor belonging to Hydro allowed her to echolocate with extreme precision and boost her water spray's healing properties, essentially transforming her into a force of nature in her own right

- Hurricane instead donned dark blue-black armor that enhanced his electrokinesis and Mirage's rose-red armor (with white wing edges) added a touch of grace to her formidable presence

- Flo's armor is a rose peach color, sporting small slots that enable her to deploy non-fatal poison when needed

- The armor donned by Charger and Rumble mirrored their scale colorations, significantly heightening their senses including their ability to detect danger and physical strength

- Puff, Big Buff, Spike, and Appa flaunted beige armor flexible enough to accommodate their shared inflation ability, complete with holes for their spike slots

- Rocky's dusty brown and white-accented armor vastly improved his speed on land and air and Rubble's coffee-brown armor enhanced her velocity at a similar rate

- Voltage and his mother wore deep violet armor preserving their electrokinesis and elevating their potency

- Aegis, Haze, Gale, Zap, Splattertail, and Goggles each sported a striking counter-shaded black and white set (made to fit their respective sizes) that enhanced their electrical properties and echoed the fierce energy within them

- As for Neema, Tumaini, and Elder and Alder, they were given their own Gift of Mystic Rings, giving them abilities akin to those wielded by Drogon, Zephyr, and Sapphira

- And, finally, the Snowtail Three-Viola, Nivia, and Xuē-were given three new sets of armor matching their colorations infused with Tide Glider DNA to empower their snow blasts and healing abilities

After finishing the new armor, she went out to investigate the source of the pain cries she heard earlier in the day (not noticing that she was being watched by Jane and her Lucario who had woken up and saw her leaving the campsite from her tent with only her father's Sun Sword for protection). As she walked along the forest and the rolling fields in the area, she carefully tracked the source of the cries before she noticed what looked like a female Kilowattrel akin to Nemona and Iono's Kilowattrel apart from being 13'00" in height (showing her that she was a Titan Kilowattrel) at the bottom of a small hill.

Curious about the Titan Kilowattrel, she looked at her carefully and was surprised to find a female Titan Talonflame (standing 15 ft. tall) a female Titan Staraptor (standing 12 ft. tall and being only a foot smaller than the Titan Kilowattrel), and a female Titan Corviknight (standing 16 ft. in height, making her the tallest of the four titans). She was even more surprised to find the three other titans staring at the Titan Kilowattrel worriedly for some reason.

The reason became clear when the Titan Kilowattrel tried to fly into the sky but fell onto the ground repeatedly amidst a series of heavy thuds despite her best efforts. The little princess then noticed that while her right wing was untouched, her left wing sported a terrible burn and was bent at an odd angle (making her realize that it was somehow broken). All the other Pokémon Titans could do was frown sadly at their friend and reassure her that help would come soon despite how disappointed and disgruntled the Titan Frigatebird Pokémon was.

"What the...?" the little princess breathed in astonished horror at the Titan Kilowattrel's damaged limb.

But, she didn't have more time to wonder what happened to it because her lion hearing picked up something coming towards her and she quickly drew her Cosmic Grace.

The noise became the distant sound of a raptor claw clicking as it touched the ground before a group of four Atrociraptors (a female and three males including an alpha) unlike Ghost (Atrociraptor), Red, Panthera, and Tiger appeared and surrounded her (leaving her in shock as she looked between them while keeping her guard up).

The only female of the Atrociraptors exhibited a deep midnight blue coloration and a silver underbelly, adorned with intricate white swirls twisting and turning across her body and striking lavender eyes that stood out against her dark skin.

The first of the male Atrociraptors boasted a fiery red coloration that complemented his darker maroon underbelly, decorated with jagged black stripes resembling molten magma flowing down his sides and brilliant amber eyes.

The second male Atrociraptor had a vibrant amber body and a cream underbelly that sharply contrasted with his vivid skin and green eyes.

But, the eldest of the male Atrociraptors (the alpha male) sported a red-orange coloration and a sandy beige underbelly and two thin black stripes that snaked from his head to his tail, resembling a serpent matched only by his golden eyes.

Suddenly, without warning, a male Arbok lashed out towards the group with its eyes poised on the little princess. Despite her swift reaction, Sarah couldn't dodge in time as it came to her face and delivered a powerful bite to her right eye, making her scream in pain and getting the attention of the female Pokémon Titans (who gasped and looked on in shocked horror at seeing the defenseless girl holding the right side of her face in pain). They even noticed the Arbok responsible for attacking her who gave a malevolent hiss of pleasure and the Atrociraptors that got her surrounded.

But, just before the Cobra Pokémon could land the final blow, Jane's Lucario immediately jumped in and unleashed a Bullet Punch that knocked him back with a hiss at the Steel-type priority move. The Aura Pokémon, however, wasn't done with the evil Poison Type yet as he came at him with Bone Rush and gave him a merciless beating. Even the female Pokémon Titans (save for the Kilowattrel Titan) rushed to the rescue as the Talonflame and Corviknight Titans ambushed Arbok and the Atrociraptors with Air Slash. Then, the Staraptor Titan (knowing Arbok was mortally wounded by Lucario's Bone Rush assault) added to the pain he was given by using Close Combat despite knowing of his resistance to Fighting Type moves (knowing her own assault would be enough to send the Cobra Pokémon running back to whoever set his sights on the human he hurt).

Arbok and the Atrociraptors were taken by surprise. However, none of them had time to think before Absol and Panthera also appeared before they immediately attacked them without mercy, making them regroup after being forced into a corner.

"Princess!" screamed Tsukumaro as he, Twilight, Dawn (Deathgripper), Bane, Toxin (who had heard what was going on), Umbreon (as he was nocturnal), and Jane (her Rescue Blaster at the ready) arrived.

Jane quickly blasted them but after she did so, Arbok hissed and quickly used Haze on the ground.

When the smoke plume cleared, there was no sign of the Arbok and the Atrociraptors, telling the old advisor, the Gold Lightspeed Ranger, and the Pokémon and dragons with them that they escaped. Surprisingly, even the four female Pokémon Titans were gone as the Staraptor, Talonflame, and Corvikight Titans took the opportunity to reunite with their wounded friend and leave after helping Lucario, Panthera, and Absol save Sarah.

"Argh! For the love of Helga Hufflepuff, they got away!" seethed Tsukumaro.

"We'll get them next time," reassured Jane.

"Your Highness! Are you okay?" the Gold Ranger's Lucario called as he and the rest of the small rescue party came to Sarah.

When they approached her, they were shocked to see the little princess now sporting a jagged and deep crimson scar mark on her right eye that stretched from above her brow to her right cheek, forcing her to keep her right eye closed.

"Kid, what happened to you?!" Lazuli breathed in horror as she gently touched the scar, making Sarah wince in pain.

"Auntie!" cried Twilight and Dawn (Deathgripper), feeling scared for their caretaker.

"I'm okay, it's just a-AAH!" Sarah replied as she tried to open her right eye only to close it again and hold the right side of her face.

"Don't open that eye! That Arbok did a number on you! We have to get you back to camp, now!" Jane ordered adamantly as the group rushed her back to the campsite to heal her and figure out how she got the scar.

---

But, Sarah wasn't the only one who was up late as a certain Storm Petrel Pokémon was also out of bed but for a more personal reason; remembering how he failed to get a Pinap Berry for Roy earlier in the day, Wattrel returned to the Pinap Tree and eyed the berries hanging from it. He desperately wanted to fly like the rest of his kind in spite of his small size and stature and didn't want to feel like a liability to Roy, Fuecoco, and the rest of his friends despite what Lucius' Rayquaza thought of his trainer.

With a determined coo and spreading his wings as he steeled himself, he flew up to a large Pinap Berry and was about to pick it until a large and swift gust of wind knocked him back down, making him groan in dismay and annoyance.

"Well, well, well... Aren't you a feisty little creature?" a female voice commented, startling Wattrel before he noticed the Kilowattrel Titan staring down at him in amusement.

Wattrel gawked in awe and amazement at her as he discovered how small he really was compared to her (even though her size also intimidated him as he started to sweat in slight fear), "Oh, good grief..."

"Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm... I suppose that is only natural; as wide as our beloved Paldea is, I'm the only Kilowattrel of such a size you've ever laid eyes upon. I am the Kilowattrel Titan. Do not fear, I am not your enemy. Now, I must ask you, little one... Why are you out here by yourself?"

Wattrel was nervous about speaking with the titan of his evolved form but he also wanted to get his discomfort over his inadequacy and lack of progress in his flying off his chest (especially since he recalled Rayquaza's blunt and harsh words about his trainer that also led to his lack of self-confidence). So, he decided to take a chance at telling her his thoughts (after he made sure they were alone and Roy and Fuecoco weren't around to hear them).

"...I guess, uh," he replied, not knowing how to begin to tell her about his problems.

"It's alright, you can tell me."

"Well, I just wanted to fly like the rest of the Wattrel and Kilowattrel. I used to have a fear of flying but some friends of mine helped me get over that with a little training. But, even though I made good progress despite my small size, I can't handle flying or hovering in high winds."

"I see. And, have you learned to practice getting a feel for the stronger wind currents?"

"Um, no... My friend, Roy, he didn't have time to do that with me," Wattrel sheepishly replied before...

"Wattrel!"

Wattrel flinched as he gasped in horror, recognizing who the voice that called out belonged to and immediately hiding behind the Kilowattrel Titan (who could only chuckle at him again) just as Roy and Fuecoco appeared.

"Oh, where could he have gone?" Roy fretted worriedly, wondering where Wattrel went until he noticed the large Frigatebird Pokémon Titan (which got him amazed and excited). "Whoa! A Kilowattrel! Hey, wait... You're much larger compared to Nemona's Kilowattrel. Oh, right! I almost forgot. Have you seen my Wattrel?"

With a cheeky smile, the Kilowattrel Titan gently stepped to her right and exposed Wattrel who hid under her right wing when his friend arrived.

"Wattrel!"

"Eep!"

"Oh, there you are! I was so worried about you. What are you doing out here, anyway?" Roy breathed in relief as Wattrel refused to answer until he noticed the Pinap Berries and realized what he was doing earlier (at least, before he met the Kilowattrel Titan). "Hey... Are you doing a bit of training after what happened earlier today?"

But, Wattrel immediately turned away, not wanting to tell him and Fuecoco about his little handicap as he did with the titan of his evolved form.

"Buddy?"

"Wattrel?" the Fire Croc Pokémon and Roy puzzled, not knowing what he was getting on through his actions and closing himself off.

Thinking he was bummed out by not being able to fly earlier and wanting to encourage him to keep trying, they began to sing but all their song did in his current state was grate on him as he refused to join in. Wattrel felt like Roy didn't truly understand what he was feeling despite their best attempts to cheer him up so he gave up, beginning to sneak away either to a different location or return to the campsite (unknowingly getting a worried look from the Kilowattrel Titan as she watched on).

But, he didn't get far before all four heard a deep and ominous howl, prompting them to stop and the Kilowattrel Titan to rush over to protect him.

A gentle yet unsettling breeze settled in the forest as the trees rustled and the clouds rolled in, blocking the moon. The area then turned purple and set off an eerie vibe (spooking Fuecoco as he grabbed onto his partner while forcing Roy, Wattrel, and the Kilowattrel Titan (who protectively shielded her pre-evolved form under her good wing) to look around, realizing they weren't alone as they thought).

"W-Wh-What's going on here?! Who's there?" the young adventurer gulped, feeling deeply unsettled as the trees and foliage gained a purple aura and took on spooky shapes. "I-I-It's, it's okay! I'm not s-s-s-s-scared! Stay calm, everyone!"

"Mommy...!" Fuecoco whimpered fearfully as they held each other and Wattrel eventually gave into his fears as he joined them (amusing his evolved form's titan yet again as she cheekily smiled at him), holding onto Fuecoco until moments later...

"WE'RE NOT SCARED/WE'RE NOT SCARED!"

Eventually, the forest brightened after the trio screamed and the clouds made way, revealing the moon again as it shone down upon a familiar male Ghost Dog Pokémon in front of the trio, looking happily at them. Then, without warning, the large Ghost Type gleefully charged at Roy and his Pokémon, making them scream as they braced themselves, thinking he was about to eat them.

But, they soon found themselves staring at the Houndstone who panted happily at them before he lunged forward to give them a happy nuzzle.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Roy squeaked as Wattrel immediately jumped back and rejoined the Kilowattrel Titan.

"Heel, boy!" a familiar female voice commanded, the owner revealing herself to be Ryme and joined by Sarah's Crocolar as she stood by the Monteneverna Gym Leader's right.

"You can stop screaming, you guys! It was only Ryme's Houndstone!" grinned the female Paldea Fire Starter at Roy, Fuecoco, and Wattrel who stared in surprise at the Houndstone before them who was panting happily at the trio before him.

"Houndstone?" Roy blinked, recognizing the Ghost Type in front of him, Wattrel, Fuecoco, and the Kilowattrel Titan (who also stared at the Ghost Type in surprise).

"C'mere, Houndstone, there's a good boy," Ryme cooed to her partner as he rejoined her.

"Oh, hi Ryme," the young adventurer greeted, recognizing the Ghost Type Gym Leader.

"Good to see you again, Roy. Sorry about Houndstone here; he was doing his usual thing as my dear sweet Ghost Dog Pokémon. We were just out on our usual nighttime walk until we met up with Chili so we had a feeling you were with the princess here," Ryme smiled at him.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I kinda forgot how cute he could be past his looks," Roy grinned back.

"Even though he's still creepy," whimpered Fuecoco as he held onto Roy's left shoulder.

Ryme nodded as she looked at Wattrel (who hid under the Kilowattrel Ttian's right wing while he eyed her warily), saying, "I was actually listening to your song earlier as we came over to meet you and see how you're getting on. I'm obviously getting some passionate vibes from you. By the looks of it, you and your partner are trying your best to cheer this little fighter up immensely. But, based on how jumpy you've become, you're giving off rather jittery vibes. As you know best of all, running away from your fears won't solve all your troubles. And, if you don't learn to face them here and now, sooner or later, you'll end up right back where you started."

The Monteneverna Gym Leader then took out her microphone and began performing a powerful rap as Houndstone barked a beat she could groove to with Chili (who shared her sentiments and concerns for Wattrel) dancing along.

"Yo! Nothin' smells bad with a small dose of fear! It'll make ya stronger and courageous, ya hear? You only gotta fear the path that veers you towards limiting your own frontiers!"

"...SO COOL!"

"WICKED!" Roy and Fuecoco gushed as their eyes twinkled before the wild Capsakid reappeared behind them.

"It's Capsakid! I heard that it's a Pokémon that loves sunlight but it's running around at night like right now," Roy peeped, surprised.

"If that's the case, perhaps it is running from the one that is not of this world," Ryme suggested.

"The one not of this world?" Roy echoed as Fuecoco and Chili tilted their heads at her in confusion, prompting Ryme to answer that via another rap.

"Yo! The one not of this world is a real Pokemon! Got all the others 'round here scared outta their wits! I gotta track down the one not of this world! These fearsome breasts who dare, yeah, to come to our world bringing the scares! 'High Voltage' is where my fury's at, it's makin' me spin three times, just like that!"

That rap left Fuecoco cheering for the Monteneverna Gym Leader and even Roy couldn't help but get even more excited, "Alright! That's great, I wanna meet it, too! But, if Capsakid's running from it like you said, that Pokemon can be vicious, and... Oh, yeah, I almost forgot! My report!"

"Hmm, your report?" puzzled Ryme as the young adventurer recorded Capsakid via his Rotom Phone.

"Yeah! I'm a new Uva Academy student; I'm taking the Terastal Course with my friends! Mmm, maybe it's rare for anybody to see them running around after sundown..."

Now, Ryme was intrigued as she gave Fuecoco and Chili an intense yet expectant look as present from her smile (even though Fuecoco didn't know why she was staring at them so intently), prompting the female Paldea Fire Starter to ask her, "What's wrong, Ryme?"

"You both got an insane fire in you from both of your partners and within yourselves, keep 'em going!" she encouraged, making Fuecoco breathe a sigh of relief from her words while Chili returned her smile as she nodded at him.

Then, after he had finished recording Capsakid, Roy turned back to Houndstone to take a photo of him but to his surprise, he and Ryme were nowhere to be found.

"Roy!" Liko cried frantically as she and the Kilowattrel Titan's friends appeared.

"Liko? What is it?" the young adventurer questioned.

"It's trouble! Sarah has just been attacked!"

"What?!"

By the time the pair (joined by Fuecoco, Floragato, and the female Pokémon Titans) returned to the campsite, everyone was awake and helping to oversee Sarah being looked at and healed by Carla, Hazel, Jane, Hydro, Hurricane, and Tsukumaro (who stirred them up from their slumber and told them what had happened to his goddaughter). They were a little annoyed to be woken up in the middle of the night but their annoyance gave way to shock and horror when they saw the wound the evil Arbok left on her and how much pain she was in.

"Sarah! Are you okay, what happened?!" Roy gasped in alarm, seeing the scar on the little princess's face.

"Oh, Sarah, we're lucky that Arbok only attacked your right eye. You're even luckier it didn't take out your eyeball or the cornea behind it apart from the skin around it," sighed Hazel as she and Carla gently dabbed some of Hydro and Hurricane's water spray on her right eye.

"Even if you can still see from it, it'll sting so we'll need to make you an eyepatch for it until the pain goes away," added Carla, feeling just as relieved.

"Tsukumaro, is Sarah going to be okay? What happened? Liko told me she was attacked earlier," Roy worriedly asked the old advisor.

"Call us crazy but when we, our partners, a few of her dragons, and her Umbreon went out looking for her, we heard her being attacked as you said but by a few baddies. But, when we did find her, we saw she was ambushed by a couple of dinosaurs and an Arbok," Jane answered for him.

Tsukumaro nodded before he added, "We got a good look at them after Absol and Lucario stopped them and got a little help from a few wild Pokémon where the princess was. The monsters responsible for doing this to her were a small team of four Atrociraptors and an Arbok."

"An Arbok?"

"Atrociraptors? Are you serious, I thought only Little Buddy had them," Carmine and Arven rebutted, surprised.

"Not anymore, Arven... Somebody else discovered those four and beat me to it," Sarah hissed, wincing from the pain her scar was giving out.

"Don't talk, Sarah!"

"You keep that up and you'll be going blind in your right eye," Hydro and Hurricane chastised.

"So, what's the big deal? It's just a massive scar," Dot dismissed despite her own worry for her royal friend.

"It's more than just a scar, Dot. Liko, Roy, Dot, while you three were growing up, did any of you ever watch The Lion Guard in full at some point?" Race questioned the young RVT trainers.

Roy shook his head but Dot and Liko instead replied, "I did watch some of it but it didn't catch my interest as much as learning about and sharing what I know about Pokémon through my videos and livestreams."

"I used to until I got to the beginning of the third season before getting into other things."

"Now that you mention it, some of us did see it all the way through," remarked Lacey in realization. "Wasn't Kion also hurt by an evil snake biting him and leaving a similar scar on the right side of his face and it hurt him badly when he still had the Roar of the Elders on him?"

"Wait! What's this talk about roars and snake bites, what are you all saying?!" Rooster gawked.

"Kiddo, are you saying you have the Roar of the Elders from The Lion Guard by Disney?" Hu asked Sarah.

Sarah winced again as she nodded and continued to cover her right eye while enduring the pain, "The scar we gained was worse... It was only the beginning, it was caused by a cobra biting him and it happened to me when that Arbok with the Atrociraptors did the same. It's what the characters called...the Mark of Evil."

"Mark of Evil/Mark of Evil?" echoed the others in confusion, worry, or surprise.

"Mark of Evil, someone actually admits to naming a cobra bite like that?" Lazuli quipped, confused.

"But, what is the Roar of the Elders, exactly?" Liko asked, concerned.

"I've heard about it since Sis and I watched The Lion Guard all the way, too, at some point during our childhood; it's a symbol representing great corruption within a creature and is mainly possessed by lions that can be placed upon them via the bite of a cobra, and as it corrupts the victims over time, they become unable to distinguish between good and evil let along right and wrong. The corrupting effects of the mark can be snuffed out with a plant called tuzila but the mark will remain on the bearer even after death. What's more, the lion has to undergo a series of healing rituals at what is known as the Tree of Life to be fully healed," Kieran explained grimly, leaving everyone even more worried for Sarah including the Six Heroes (since they had never heard of such things in their lives).

Sarah nodded again as she continued despite the pain, "The effects of the venom are worse for someone who holds the Roar of the Elders; once bitten, I'll eventually lose control of it and unleash its counterpart, the Dark Roar, with devastating power. And, if it stays within me for too long, as Kieran said...I'll lose all distinction between right and wrong. At worse... I'll turn to the dark side again."

Liko, Roy, Dot, the BA students, Jane, and Arven gasped at the revelation. But, the Six Heroes were left in silent horror, having no idea that the princess herself had once fallen into the hands of evil and thought that such a thing was impossible for a human as noble and selfless as her.

"It didn't help that the Sporix energy once corrupted you during our and the Dino Fury team's final stand against Void Queen in June," Mallow stated worriedly.

"...What?"

"Sarah corrupted?"

"How did that happen?" Dot, Liko, and Roy breathed, aghast.

"Long story."

"It was during the end of the war against evil creatures called Sporix by the Power Rangers Dino Fury and we helped them end it," Lana and Kiawe said.

"If there is any leftover Sporix Energy within you that Race's spell from that time didn't free you from, combined with the venom from the Arbok that bit you, you're in real trouble now. It'll feed off the anger and pain you're feeling from the venom flowing inside you," Ash frowned.

"None of us will let that happen, Princess. From what your friends told us, you're far too pure and precious to us to fall to darkness for a second time," Diancie vowed reassuringly.

"How? What power will you all have to get rid of the venom and the Sporix Energy and keep the Dark Roar from coming out, to stop me? Especially after what happened to me years ago?" Sarah questioned, now becoming scared.

"Wait, what did happen to you before you met us?" Liko questioned curiously.

Solar sighed sadly as he told the young girl, "It happened after I was welcomed into her family following a battle against an evil being who created me and Sarah adopted the Eevee Squad a few weeks since. Before Team Skull turned over a new leaf, back when they were nothing but bullies, they attacked Asha's parents and Tsukumaro, the former two having Sarah in their care as their adopted daughter for some time. She was shocked and worried for their safety, she lost her cool and transformed into a white lion, unleashing the Dark Roar on them and getting her godfather, Nikki, and James caught in the crossfire."

"But, how did she turn into a lion? She couldn't transform into a lion. I didn't think it was possible since she's half-angel given her Nephilim Physiology, right?" Dot stated, prompting the Pokémon School Gang, Ash, and Tsukumaro to give each other solemn yet knowing looks.

"Wait, Little Buddy, turn into a lion? Half-angel? What are you guys talking about?" Arven balked, flabbergasted.

"Are you kiddin'?!"

"How is that even possible?!" Sydney and Rooster peeped in disbelief.

"That's ridiculous, how can a human like her even accomplish something as far-fetched as that?" Naomi spluttered.

"When the Power Rangers Ultra Rescue was born, taking a page from Grid Battleforce when they made the Power Rangers Beast Morphers, the Aether Foundation had Sarah and her friends infused with Pokémon DNA and a powerful substance called Morph-X and she obtained Solgaleo DNA as per the arrangements when Team Eclipse was still around. When she first found me two years ago, she bonded with me moments before her human DNA and Solgaleo DNA mixed with the Lion DNA within me. The Lion DNA thus enhanced her senses and physical capabilities, giving her increased strength, endurance, agility, and the Roar of the Elders. As for her Nephilim Physiology, she was turned into a Half-Angel through it to combat the Dark Arts her crazed uncle practiced as angels are renounced and mythical beings specializing in what is called White Arts."

"Dark Arts? You mean like that magical mumbo-jumbo we've seen you do?" Rooster quizzed, raising an eyebrow.

"That mumbo-jumbo is magic from the Wizarding World, Rooster. And, by Dark Arts, the princess meant something like the Killing Curse," rebutted Mary.

"Killing Curse...? You mean the UNFORGIVABLE CURSES?!"

"Even the Cruciatus Curse?" Sydney and Pig balked, horrified by the reveal.

"The very same; the Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra, is what he used to kill the princess' grandparents (his own parents, Ms. Donna and Lord David) when he and Team Eclipse initiated the Ultra Beast War as revenge against the Alolan royal family over five centuries ago. But, even though they were killed, their spirits went into the Twilight Amulet and entered a deep slumber until my goddaughter and her wolf friend, Raven, resurrected them with their magic and the Phoenix Spirit the previous year," Tsukumaro confirmed.

That tippet left the rest of the heroes feeling uneasy about Lothor and how dangerous he truly was to his own family, now knowing better than to press Sarah and her blood family on the subject of him and Team Eclipse given what they went through.

"How awful..." Kubfu grimaced, feeling sick to her stomach.

"What a horrid, vile old man," grumbled Diancie, now despising the being for nearly destroying her and her friends' charge and her blood family.

"I see..."

"Guess that's why you guys and Alola's Last King and Queen don't want to talk about him," Liko and Dot emphasized.

"Still, the Roar of the Elders, it sounds powerful... What do you know about it?" Roy added, curious about the Roar of the Elders and its backstory.

"Where do we start after we first learned about it? It's a powerful roar bestowed upon a second-born in the royal family of the Pride Lands which once included Kion, the son of Simba and Nala who was born after Kiara, capable of weather manipulation as per the user's wishes and summoning the spirits of the Pride Land's kings of the past including Simba's father: Mufasa, whenever their help is needed. But, if used for dark purposes, the Great Lions will be forced to take it away just as they did with Scar when he killed his own comrades following their refusal to help him overthrow his brother after he was bitten by a cobra himself before their deaths," the old advisor continued gravely.

Nobody knew what to say after that and Floragato and Liko were horrorstruck by what they had heard because the young girl's best friend was going through the same dilemma her partner went through during her early days as a Sprigatito regarding her fears of using her power to help others when it meant hurting them in the process.

---

With the evil Cobra Pokémon and the Atrociraptors with him, they ran and slithered through the forest until eventually, they arrived before a familiar figure from the Explorers and his Umbreon in a secluded glen. Approaching the figure and his Moonlight Pokémon, the quintet bowed as they hissed and purred to let them know of their presence.

"So, your mission?" the figure asked.

"It is done, Master. The princess now has the mark as you ordered," Arbok nodded, smirking.

The evil Atrociraptors gave agreeing nods as they shared his smirk, prompting the figure to turn to them and reveal himself to be Spinel before he chuckled and praised his creatures, "Well done, all of you. Now, that the princess has been subjected to the poison after being given the Mark of Evil, should she use the Roar again, she'll eventually lose control and become a killing machine. And, soon, if there is no other cure for her poison beside the healing rituals at the Tree of Life and the tuliza plant, she'll eventually die. Then, after that, we and Master Gibeon will have a clear path to Laqua, the Terapagos Four, the Six Heroes, and the Laquium..."

But, as Spinel was talking with his Arbok and Atrociraptors, they had no idea they were being watched by Reader who could only quietly gasp in horror since she now knew that he was behind the Mark of Evil present on her human charge.

---

The next day (September 17th, Monday, Day 14 of the Terastal Course), to lift everyone's spirits and keep themselves occupied until they can tackle the Mark of Evil before the worst happens, they decided to continue with their reports and hope for the best.

Lazuli went further to cheer her friends up by cooking and serving breakfast with help from her new Appletun and Delight. The dishes she made with them were Cinnamon Apple Streusel Muffins (fluffy muffins filled with Appletun's baked apple filling topped with buttery cinnamon streusels), Appletun Pancakes (pancakes mixed with grated apples and cinnamon drizzled with syrup), and Baked Apple Oatmeal (baked oats with apples, walnuts, and a hint of vanilla).

It was a pick-me-up the heroes desperately needed and they even joked that Murdock and Alcremie now have some competition due to how surprisingly good the swordswoman had become in her baking with her two Pokémon which even the Flying Types enjoyed (since they were given multiple and larger offerings were made for the larger members and Dodonzo withGeminioandEngorgio).

Of course, remembering Ryme and Houndstone and what she had told her, Chili, and Fuecoco, Roy did tell the others about "The One Not of This World" before Liko retrieved him the night before. But, they were skeptical about his claim as to whether or not the creature he spoke of even existed even though Carmine had reason to believe that it was a Ghost Type Pokémon since Ryme was Monteneverna's Ghost Type Gym Leader.

Tot, Nano, Mini, Tiny, Midge, and Pebble then happily reported to everyone that Stoutland managed to find a Dawn Stone, two Rare Bones, a Nugget, a Pearl, seven Great Balls, and TMs for the following moves: Magical Leaf, Toxic Spikes, U-Turn, Flash Cannon, Psychic Terrian, Light Screen, and Stomping Tantrum (still showing his knack for treasure hunting).

But, during breakfast, all Sarah could do was eat slowly and pick her Appletun Pancakes as she now sported a black patch over her right eye (despite having bags under her eyes). The Mark of Evil still stung but by the time morning came, the pain had dulled and was not as bad as it was earlier. Even so, after learning about the mark and what it could do to her (especially regarding the circumstances that gave her the Roar of the Elders), Liko, Roy, and Dot didn't know how to make her feel better.

So, deciding to give her time to contemplate her new predicament, they left her alone and continued with their reports.

---

Liko tried to film the White Plumage Squawkabilly again after she found them (but with little success as Floragato and Terapagos unintentionally alerted the flock to her presence and they left much to her dismay as she gave chase) and Dot momentarily forgot to find and film wild Pokémon as she recorded Quaxly using Water Gun to create a rainbow for a future Nidothing video.

---

As for Roy, he was still keeping his eye out for Capsakid and Fuecoco was gathering berries in his usual carefree manner (befriending a wild Lechonk he met in the process as he helped give it a charred Sitrus Berry).

But, he soon noticed Wattrel staring at another Sitrus Berry close by, the Storm Petrel Pokémon still trying to build up the strength, stamina, and courage he needed to get it while getting used to the wind currents that once brought him down the previous day. He had been repeating the Kilowattrel Titan's tippet about getting used to stronger wind currents in his mind, thinking he should practice adapting and getting used to them as she said to hone his flying further (and eventually evolve should it come to that).

Wanting to help his brother-in-arms, the young Fire Croc Pokémon used Flame Charge to bring it down and car it for him to eat. But, all it did was make Watterl gawk at him in shock, the Electric/Flying Type still thinking he should've gotten the berry down himself.

"Here you go," Fuecoco smiled, offering the berry he got which irked the jealous Wattrel as he turned away from it. "On me, okay?"

"Forget it!" Wattrel spat as he furiously slapped the berry away, causing it to smack Fuecoco in the face.

"You...! YOU UNGRATEFUL JERK!" Fuecoco raged as he tackled Wattrel.

"You moron! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Wattrel snapped back as he bashed Fuecoco back twice as hard out of sheer jealousy.

"What are you doing, Wattrel?! You can't pick fights with anybody! Are you okay, Fuecoco?" Roy cried frantically as he heard them fighting and rushed over to stop them before he checked on Fuecoco, further irking Wattrel as he turned away in a huff and disappeared behind his trainer's back to let off some steam on his own. "We're all friends and a team here, Fuecoco, you and Wattrel. We have to work together and appreciate each other's help. Isn't that right, W-? ...Wattrel?"

Now, Roy was worried as he and Fuecoco searched for Wattrel; he recalled Sarah, Race, Arven, and Carmine's words and Rayquaza's scathing remarks about him and Wattrel during dinner the previous night and still felt the sting of how incredibly blunt the Terastal Sky High Pokémon was.

To him, even if there was truth to what he had said, he still had faith in Wattrel and wanted to help him improve his flying no matter what (especially since he, Fuecoco, and his friends helped him overcome his aerophobia months ago). He also felt bad about not giving Wattrel as much attention and training as he should've so he decided it was time for them to start their time and training together again from the ground up to make it up to him before or after they find Capsakid.

"Wattrel! Wattrel!"

"Where are you?" the young adventurer and Fuecoco called as they searched along the river banks leading to a tall waterfall.

"HEEEEEEEEELP!"

A frightened shriek caught their attention and they saw the Capsakid they were looking for trapped near the waterfall as it crouched down and held its head in a fetal position, too scared to move.

"It can't be!"

"Capsakid! It looks like it fell onto that bit close to the waterfall while it was running about, how do we save it?"

As Roy searched for a means of saving Capsakid before it got itself into the waterfall or falling off the cliff and plunging into the river below by mistake, he noticed a ledge that was just small enough for him to shimmy down towards the Spicy Pepper Pokémon.

"Just hang on! I'm coming down to get you! Fuecoco, you stay here," he called to the scared Grass Type as he made his way down after telling Fuecoco to remain where he was.

Knowing he could lose his footing and fall if he wasn't careful, Roy took great care to shimmy his way down the narrow ledge to Capsakid. Naturally, Fuecoco wanted to join Roy and help but the young adventure was quick to remind him that should he fall into the river below, he would have to rescue him first before he could even get to Capsakid (immediately making him remember that water could potentially be fatal to him as he shuddered and could only watch the improvised rescue operation, knowing that looking for Wattrel would have to wait until then).

Of course, Roy did have an extremely close call as he stepped on a loose rock and a great portion of the ledge sank into the river, causing Fuecoco to scream in terror for him (his screams getting the attention of Wattrel who found and reunited with the Kilowattrel Titan (who still needed to have her left wing looked at) and stayed with her for the time being and perked up, realizing that his friends somehow landed themselves in trouble).

In fact, to his and Fuecoco's relief, Roy managed to get himself onto Capsakid's end after avoiding the loose ledge (unknowingly setting himself up for more trouble given his current position) and he soon noticed the scared Spicy Pepper Pokémon in front of him.

"Capsakid! It's alright now, you're with me. Come on, let's go," he encouraged despite Capsakid's refusal for his help, going so far as to try and fail to get back up the river bank on its own and hissing at him to stay back (trying to look intimidating which only made it look cute) before it bit him. "Ah, ow! Aww, man... My finger's getting itchy all of a sudden...!"

Then, it tried to use Seed Bomb as it shed its front teeth, the attack going into his mouth as the young adventurer swallowed it and finally got a feel for how spicy those teeth were (which made them a delicacy for traditional Paldean cuisine).

"...HOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" he screamed as he spat out flames, his face turned red, and he sweated bullets (much to Fuecoco's worry and Wattrel's annoyance as he arrived with the Kilowattrel Titan to see what was happening). "But, still... IT'S SO GOOD!"

His excited declaration left his team incredibly baffled and they didn't know what to think as he ate the front teeth gleefully, loving the spicy flavor they gave off (which amused the Kilowattrel Titan as she stifled a snigger with her right wing).

"It's super spicy and the flavor of those teeth is so deep..." he continued, startling Capsakid as it used Seed Bomb again. "Mm-mmm! Don't mind if I do!"

"Huh?!" Capsakid gawked, its shock growing.

"...SPICY AND TASTY!"

"GACK! He likes 'em?!"

"Spicy Pepper Pokémon are just the coolest! Those front teeth even got a spicy aftertaste after chewing and swallowing! Alright! This is definitely going into my report!" Roy cheered loudly as he finished his second helping of Seed Bomb and finally got what he wanted for his report.

"Yay, Roy!" Fuecoco hollered eagerly while Wattrel and the Kilowattrel Tian looked on in bemusement and amusement between them.

"Come on, Capsakid, jump over to me! It's alright. I won't hurt you, I'm not a bad guy."

Naturally, Roy's reactions and his praise over its spicy front teeth left Capsakid feeling a little creeped out as it wasn't a normal reaction it would get from a human it would occasionally cross paths with. And, it still didn't know what to do as he offered to help it out of danger again. But, its mind would be made up when the boy decided to help calm it down by repeating a certain rap about conquering one's fears from a familiar Ghost Type Gym Leader.

"Yo! Nothin' smells bad with a small dose of fear! It'll make ya stronger and courageous, ya hear? You only gotta fear the path that veers you towards limiting your own frontiers!"

Little did Roy know, however, that the rap he learned from Ryme triggered something within Wattrel as he watched on (the Storm Petrel Pokémon recalling the same rap he heard from her the night before and wondering if this was what she meant, realizing that he was still a little afraid of flying even though he was over his aerophobia for months). He would get his answer soon enough as Roy managed to have Capsakid trust him when it toddled over to him and he gently took it in his hands only to realize that they were truly stuck when he tried to figure out how they were going to get out.

Fuecoco didn't know what to do as he fretted to himself but with Wattrel, he finally understood what Ryme was telling him and he decided to take a chance.

Letting out a determined cry and spreading his wings as he took off, he made his way towards Roy and Capsakid (shocking Fuecoco as he finally saw him appear and surprising the Kilowattrel Titan before she smiled in approval at him as she realized what he was doing).

"Wattrel!" gasped Roy as he saw Wattrel flying over to them just as a strong gust of wind blew him down.

Wattrel almost fell into the river after that but just before he could touch the water, he regained himself and endured the blast, quickly keeping his eye on his trainer and the wild Spicy Pepper Pokémon. To the young adventurer's amazement, Wattrel (doing his best to face what is left of his aerophobia head-on and recalling the Kilowattrel Titan's previous tippet to him) didn't stop and give up when he kept himself from falling into the river, he kept on going.

Knowing he has a much better chance of saving one of them given his current conditions, he carefully held up Capsakid and encouraged the young Electric/Flying Type, "Wattrel... Here, Wattrel, please help Capsakid get out of here! He'll be safe with you! I know you can do it!"

---

With the others, having finished gathering whatever material they had for their next report and having packed up all their things to continue the return trip to Uva Academy, they had been waiting for Roy for a while but he, Wattrel, and Fuecoco hadn't returned yet.

"You know... I wonder where Roy went."

"He has been gone for a while now. You think he found what he needed for his report?" Dot and Drayton pondered, concerned for Roy's well-being.

"...Uncle Roy!" gasped Hatenna from within Liko's hoodie, sensing Roy's determination and slight fear underneath it and even his trust in Wattrel.

"What is it, Hatenna?" Liko asked her Calm Pokémon who pointed in the direction the young adventurer was in.

"That way! Over there, in trouble!"

"What?! Come on!" Floragato gasped as she ran down the path, sensing and hearing the frantic urgency in Hatenna's voice.

"Floragato, wait!" Liko yelped in surprise as she, Dot, the BA students, Tsukumaro, Sarah, and Race raced after the spunky Grass Cat Pokémon.

---

While Fuecoco and the Kilowattrel Titan watched on from the river banks, Wattrel flew over to Roy and Capsakid as best he could. As before, the wind blew and tried to knock him back into the river but his determination never wavered as he straightened himself back up again (with Fuecoco's encouragement as he put his full support behind him now), continuing to get himself used to the abnormal currents. Realizing he only had one shot of rescuing Capsakid, Wattrel steeled himself and unleashed a few more intense flaps of his wings before he finally managed to grab the little Grass Type in his talons.

Capsakid was grateful for the rescue as he did his best to hold onto Wattrel and he flew him back up to the river bank as Fuecoco and Roy cheered him on. At last, with a final beat of his wings, the tiny Electric/Flying Type brought him back to higher ground.

Fuecoco cheered for him and even he gave off a satisfied cry out of his rescue attempt, seeing that he had gotten Capsakid safely out of harm's way with little to no trouble after getting him.

"You did it, Wattrel!" Roy grinned proudly as he breathed a sigh of relief and tried to rejoin the trio by climbing his way out from the ledge to his left.

"Fuecoco, Wattrel! There you are, where's Roy?" Liko called as she and her group saw the pair and Capsakid before they saw Roy climbing his way out from their vantage point.

"Hey!"

"Roy!"

"AHH! Roy, whatever are you playing at?!" Carmine, Dot, and Tsukumaro gasped in alarm, realizing what he was doing after seeing the rescued wild Capsakid.

"I'm okay, you guys! It's no big deal! I'm great at climbing trees so I'll be up in no time!" Roy reassured, smiling at the group.

But, the others disagreed as they had worried looks on their faces, Liko fretted over what to do, and Dot and Tsukumaro told him, "You're not okay, alright?!"

"You're being reckless yourself, Roy! Get down from there and stay where you are, NOW!"

Tsukumaro and Dot were right; as Roy continued to climb his way out, he accidentally grabbed a loose rock with his left hand and lost his grip just before a more powerful gust of wind blew in the area, forcing everyone to shield themselves from the blast and Roy to hold on as best he could. Sarah was tempted to sigh in disbelief at him but the little princess was more worried for his well-being and didn't want to chastise him even further after recalling how harsh Rayquaza was to him. So, she remained silent and shapeshifted into an Ibex (creatures known for climbing 90-degree cliffs with their unique hooves) and made her way down towards him.

"Little Buddy! What are you doing?!" Arven shouted as Sarah inched herself close to the young adventurer.

Suddenly, without warning, a Psybeam shot out of nowhere and blasted the wall they clung to, causing the pair (to their shock as they lost their grips) to fall into the river.

"PRINCESS/ROY!" squealed a terrified Liko and Tsukumaro as they saw their friends and goddaughter fall and everyone else screamed.

"ROOOOOY!" Wattrel screeched as he darted towards his trainer while the Corviknight Titan followed him to rescue Sarah as a pair of blurs.

That was all Wattrel needed to do because after he got himself used to the stronger wind currents that once brought him down time and time again and he rescued Capsakid despite how incapable of flying he had once been, he kept his eye on Roy and forsook his old handicap as a familiar blue light coated him, shocking everyone. Even the Kilowattrel Titan was in awe of her tiny friend as his shape started to change and gained an elongated body, his wings grew larger, and a burst of electric energy radiated through him.

In no time, at all, Wattrel evolved into a Kilowattrel, now much larger and more capable of withstanding stronger winds as he safely caught his trainer.

At the same time, the Corviknight Titan used her expert agility and aerodynamic flying to save the transformed little princess as she caught her on her back before joining Roy's Kilowattrel.

"W-Wattrel...?" Roy gasped in surprised awe as he noticed himself in his evolved Frigatebird Pokémon's protective grasp.

Kilowattrel looked down on his trainer, giving him a knowing gaze and leaving Roy excited; he immediately realized that because he had evolved, he had fully overcome his aerophobia and could fly at his fullest now without the wind bogging him down. He then demonstrated this by flying around for a bit and showing off his new flying prowess as the young adventurer gayly hung by his talons and immensely enjoyed the freedom of flying with his evolved partner. Even in her transformed state, the little princess couldn't help but smile thankfully at the Corviknight Titan as she enjoyed the ride she was given while the large Raven Pokémon flew alongside her evolved acquaintance.

The others couldn't help but gawk in excitement as Dot quickly scanned Kilowattrel with her Rotom Phone, "Kilowattrel, the Frigatebird Pokémon. An Electric and Flying Type; it inflates its throat sac to amplify its electricity, and by riding the wind, it can fly at approximately 700 kilometers in a day."

"You're so awesome, Kilowattrel!" hollered an ecstatic Roy.

"And, how!" Kilowattrel cooed back as they landed on the ground and shared a tender embrace and nuzzle between them, their friendship and trust renewed with his evolution.

The evolved Frigatebird Pokémon also gained the respect and admiration of the Kilowattrel Titan as she joined the pair and gave Kilowattrel a proud nod and a gentle pat on his right wing, making him smile thankfully at her.

Fuecoco was greatly relieved to see his best friend unharmed and Wattrel evolving and having no problem flying anymore and feeling grateful, Capsakid used Seed Bomb to give him a taste of how spicy his front teeth were as well.

After that, deciding to go back to his own business again, he went off but not without smiling at Roy and telling him, "Thanks, friend, you and your big bird. See ya!"

"Bye, Capsakid! See ya!" Roy smiled as he waved goodbye to the Spicy Pepper Pokémon.

"Wow, can you get a load of this guy?"

"Yeah, I can't believe how big he's gotten now!"

"He's now as tall as most of us!"

"I'll say! You were once a tiny little Wattrel earlier but now you've grown into a large Kilowattrel, definitely not unlike the Kilowattrel Titan!" Crispin, Ash, Sophocles, and Dot grinned as the young recluse, Rotoblue, Rotospark, and Rotoscope recorded and took photos of Kilowattrel.

"That's right. And, now...I'm one with the wind!" Kilowattrel declared proudly, spreading his new wings and making Fuecoco fawn over him.

The Kilowattrel Titan laughed as she joked to him, "Don't go stealing my thunder with your new wings and gliding, kid!"

"That's amazing, Roy! We're so proud of you and Wattrel, evolving into Kilowattrel while he was riding the winds of Paldea... That sounds like it'll make a great next report from you!" Liko grinned at her adventurous friend just as Sarah returned to her human form and gave the Corviknight Titan a thankful pat.

"Yeah, you'll have a lot to Jacq about that via your report even if you're speaking about your own Pokémon or so," she smiled before she gritted her teeth and held her patched eye, still feeling the pain she got from the Mark of Evil (while doing her best to control her disappointment and anger at his stunt). "But, next time, don't try to get yourself out of a tough situation before we do anything to help you, ugh...!"

"Princess, why aren't you more concerned with his-?!" Tsukumaro balked at his goddaughter's leniency.

"...Mark of Evil, remember? I can't make myself lose control again."

"Oh... Um, yes, ahem. Well, of course, exactly, hmm..."

"I'll remember! But, anyway, did any of you get a video of Wattrel evolving?" Roy replied.

The others blinked and looked at each other sheepishly, realizing that in the middle of their excitement, apart from Lazuli, Race, and Sarah's Rotom Phones, they hadn't been able to record Kilowattrel's evolution.

"Dot, Ash, Liko, Carmine, guys?! You didn't get anything?!" Roy begged, going pale.

"Um... Well, I-It's just... I-I couldn't get my eyes off him after he evolved," Dot gulped as she sheepishly turned away.

"Yeah, well... S-Sorry, I was too excited to record him, too," agreed Liko.

"Same," Lana concurred as everyone else nodded, still sheepishly smiling at him.

"Oh, come on...!" Roy groaned curmudgeonly as he slumped in dismay while Kilowattrel gave everybody a deadpanned stare.

"Oh, well... Guess it won't hurt for him to use my video," Rotoblue snarked jokingly at Rotoscope and Rotospark who grinned at her.

But, that would prove to be the least of their worries as everybody heard Sarah growling slightly as she held her right eye before she snarled at them, startling the group as her face twisted with a brief fit of intense anger (struggling to control herself as the Mark of Evil played up).

"Sarah! Are you okay?"

"Snap out of it, Sarah!"

"Calm down!" Liko, Roy, and Dot cried as they held her, getting a little freaked out before they managed to snap her out of her anger-filled trance.

"...Ow. Man... R-Roy, wha...? D-Did I...?" Sarah gulped worriedly, getting a sad but reassuring smile and headshake from the young adventurer before everybody frowned with great concern (realizing they also have the Mark of Evil to deal with).

---

That evening, Kilowattrel flew above the group with the Corviknight Titan taking the Kilowattrel Titan's place (the larger Frigatebird Pokémon overseeing his flying given she still needed her left wing looked over which Carla oversaw as she examined it and gave it a little Super Potion) as they made their way back to Uva Academy with some of the others phoning the Rising Volt Tacklers to tell them what happened to Sarah.

Liko, Roy, and Dot kept themselves occupied with Kilowattrel as he took Fuecoco on his back for a short flight around the sky, knowing Sarah needed to talk to their friends and caretakers about the Mark of Evil and the attack on her. While they did that, true to the arrangement, everyone else spoke with Friede, Orla, Murdock, Johnathan, Diane, Ludlow, and Mollie after Rotoblue, Rotoscope, and Rotospark patched the heroes' call to them.

But, it wasn't until Reader arrived that they learned that the perpetrator behind Sarah getting the Mark of Evil was Spinel who was the owner of the Arbok and Atrociraptors that trapped and attacked her. They were naturally horrified to realize this but Lazuli was horrorstruck and blamed herself immensely for not realizing what he was doing to bypass her royal friend's safety measures.

"DAMN IT! URGH! ...Some Explorer hunter I turned out to be; we've been at this course for two weeks straight, and already, Spinel's thrown a wrench in our plans with this new low of his..." the swordswoman seethed in self-loathing as she cleaved a nearby tree in half, regretting sparing his life months ago back on the container ship that left Levincia. "I should've known he would find out about that roar sooner or later. And, we're here now because I let that asshole go instead of killing him right then and there... Why, why didn't I do it...?"

"...Listen, you guys, as I am now... I'm...not going back to Uva Academy," Sarah decided.

"What, you're not going back?"

"But, what about the Terastal Course and the midterm interquel Mr. Clavell told us about?"

"And, our reports?" gasped Mallow, Lillie, and Lana in surprise and disbelief.

"I don't want to cause a panic by losing control of the Roar when I least expect it. The other students will get caught in the crossfire during the interquel and I don't want them or anybody else getting hurt... I'll stay in Levincia's outskirts for a spell and make my way back, at least, once I'm healed somehow..."

"But, Sarah, you're our friend! You're also doing a project or two with Race, Arven, and your sister!"

"You're badly hurt because of the Mark of Evil no thanks to Spinel! I'll stay by your side until you're healed while everybody returns to the academy!" Roy and Liko protested defiantly.

Sarah shook her head at them despite appreciating their kindness, telling them, "If you do that, you'll drop out of the Terastal Course and bail on your Implementation Tests. You all wanted to learn how to Terastallize your Pokémon after seeing Amethio and Friede Terastallize Ceruledge and Charizard, you've got to take it all the way no matter the squalls. Remember, you mustn't disappoint Mr. Clavell and everyone else in the course and do your best regardless of what happens to the rest of us if you want to pass..."

"But, the Mark of Evil... As long as the venom from Spinel's Arbok is coursing through your body, you'll die," Dot reminded worriedly.

"Go on. Forget about me until I come back. That's an order, not a request... It's even worse knowing that we don't have the Tree of Life in our world for miles on end and the place only exists in the show. Unless we could somehow transport ourselves to the Pride Lands..."

"I get it; we're stuck between a rock and a hard place regarding the Mark of Evil, especially on how to get rid of both it and the venom in you. No Tree of Life and tuzila plants, no healing rituals," Kiawe sighed knowingly.

Diancie then pondered for a moment before she got an idea and told everyone, "Well, there is one Tree of Life that I know of and she's our best hope for you, Princess."

"You know the Tree of Life, Diancie? How?" Tsukuamro questioned.

"Well, I know the Tree of Life and where she is...because she's my mother: Xerneas."

"XERNEAS?!"

"The Legendary Pokémon of Life!"

"From Kalos' Aura Trio?"

"I thought she was a myth!" Ash and the Pokémon School Gang, Kieran, and Amarys gawked at her, all flabbergasted by the reveal of the Life Pokémon.

"Wait a minute! How come you know about Xerneas and why is she your mother?" Carmine questioned suspiciously.

"She raised me to be the Pokémon I am ever since I was a tiny little Carbink, she taught me everything I know," the Diamond Pokémon grinned.

"And, you didn't tell us about her right away last night because...?" grumbled Crispin, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You never asked, none of you did."

"...Fair enough."

"Well, I guess if she's anywhere between here and the academy, let's hope we actually do find her in time," Liko nodded.

"You'll have to look hard for her if you want her help; Mother is always a busy Pokémon and while she made time for me, everybody else needed her assistance whenever there was a problem at hand and she's rather hesitant or stingy to trust humans," Diancie warned as they walked along the path.

---

But, deeper in the forest, as the heroes made their way back to Uva Academy and began to look for Diancie's mother along the way, a pair of eyes flickered in the dark and a large shape resembling a large Primeape but with wild and wavy fur or hair amid a blanket of fog. It was almost as if the strange and intimidating figure was bidding its time, poised to make itself known at the right time.

To Be Continued...

---

Occurred Events

Sarah's bitten by an Arbok and given the Mark of Evil making her concerned about the Roar once more but she restores her own confidence

Four new Atrociraptor Characters make an appearance

The only female of the Atrociraptors exhibited a deep midnight blue coloration and a silver underbelly, adorned with intricate white swirls twisting and turning across her body and striking lavender eyes that stood out against her dark skin.

The first of the male Atrociraptors boasted a fiery red coloration that complemented his darker maroon underbelly, decorated with jagged black stripes resembling molten magma flowing down his sides and brilliant amber eyes.

The second male Atrociraptor had a vibrant amber body and a cream underbelly that sharply contrasted with his vivid skin and green eyes.

But, the eldest of the male Atrociraptors (the alpha male) sported a red-orange coloration and a sandy beige underbelly and two thin black stripes that snaked from his head to his tail, resembling a serpent matched only by his golden eyes.

Solar and Tsukumaro reveal the origin of Sarah's DNA Powers and the Roar of the Elders within her

Bumpy's new baby siblings debut; seven sisters and three brothers.

They were none other than Bumpy's new Ankylosaurus siblings: Amber (Ankylosaurus), Sunbeam, Sandy (Ankylosaurus), Tawny, Honey, Cinnamon, Pine, Butterscotch, Rusty, and Toffee. All of her siblings (who hatched from their eggs a few days ago and grew to Avel's size in a short time) had cream markings on their legs yet all had different colorations from her sisters' colors ranging from a tan-like brown with golden-brown eyes, golden brown and sandy brown, gold, and dull orange to her brothers' (Rusty and Pine) rusty orange and golden brown.

The Arbok and Raptors are revealed to belong to Spinel