Chapter Text
A series of explosions could be seen in the rings of a gas giant planet. The cause of those explosions was two strangely designed ships, one of which was far larger than the other. The larger ship unleashed a powerful laser at the smaller one, knocking it away. As it regained control, the smaller ship unleashed twin green lasers that struck the opposing vessel, carving a good chunk out of it.
Inside the larger ship, a humanoid robot stood at a control console as a bunch of alien symbols appeared on screen. “Hull damage: 20 percent.” The robot turned towards the center of the bridge. “But the system’s still operational.”
In the center of the room was a large metal chair, which was occupied by a tall alien figure. The figure’s body was green, with red veins running along its surface, and it wore black-and-red armor. Its head was bold, with a pair of bright red eyes and long tentacles hanging from its chin and cheeks like a beard.
The alien growled at the robot. “I have come too far to be denied.” He watched a screen showing the ship flying away from the gas giant and towards the center of the solar system. “The Omnitrix shall be mine. And there is not a being in the galaxy that dares stand in my way!” The alien declared, slamming his fist down on the chair’s armrest.
Meanwhile, above the Galar Region, the airship known as the Brave Olivine flew through the skies. It was crewed by the group known as the Rising Volt Tacklers, a team of adventurers. They travel the world to uncover secrets and Pokémon. In this case, they were looking for a group of Pokémon known as the Six Heroes, which once belonged to the Ancient Adventurer, Lucius.
The group consisted of their leader, Professor Friede, and his partner, Captain Pikachu. Orla, a mechanic who built the airship. Ludlow, the original owner of the Olivine. Murdock, the chef who provides meals for the crew, both humans and Pokémon. Mollie, the team’s healing specialist. Dot, Murdock’s young niece, who created most of the team’s software. Liko, a young girl who helped start the team’s journey to search for the Six Heroes, thanks to her pendant, which was really a Pokémon called Terapagos. And Roy, the most recent member to join. They were currently traveling with Liko’s grandmother, Diana, an adventurer.
The reason they were in Galar was to investigate sightings of the Black Rayquaza, one of the Six Heroes. Liko had just gotten out of bed, ready for what the day may bring. Resting in the hood of her jacket was a Hatenna, and walking by her feet was Liko’s starter Pokémon, Sprigatito. The only one not up yet was Terapagos. It continued to sleep on Liko’s bed as she exited her room.
“Hey, Liko!” From down the hall, Roy had called out. At his feet was Roy’s starter, Fuecoco.
“Good morning, Roy,” Liko happily greeted.
Sprigatito and Fuecoco happily greeted each other.
“We’re gonna head up to the Battlefield to do some practice battles. You want to come?” Roy asked.
“Sure,” Liko nodded. “Maybe we can invite Dot?”
“Good idea! Let’s go.” Roy and Fuecoco ran off to Dot’s room, with Liko and Sprigatito following. Though that didn’t happen, as Dot was too busy gathering info about the Black Rayquaza, to Liko’s disappointment.
As it turned out, the lead Dot had found was false. So, to make the most of the situation, the Rising Volt Tacklers decided to spend the day having some fun in the Wild Area. A curry battle was held between Liko and Roy, with a somewhat reluctant Dot helping (mostly Liko). The competition ended in a draw, but everyone had fun, including Dot, whom Liko wanted to cheer up after being tricked with false intel.
As everyone headed back to the Brave Olivine, Liko and Dot ended up talking about the day’s events. “This… was a good day,” Dot admitted with a small blush.
“Yeah,” Liko nodded. She then spun in place before saying, “We had a great time in the Wild Area!”
“Meow!”
“I got to eat some curry and have… a nice talk with my friend,” Dot said.
“I’d really love it if we talked more from now on.”
“Only if I have the time,” Dot said bashfully, causing Liko to smile. As they continued their walk back to the ship, Liko couldn’t help but wonder what would come next.
Back in space, the ships continued trading blasts as they drew closer to Earth. As the smaller ship reached the edge of the planet’s atmosphere, the larger one sent an extra-powerful blast that struck its rear. The ship’s rear exploded, leaving it dead in the water. “Their propulsion systems have been destroyed.” The lieutenant informed.
“Prepare to board!” The alien commander ordered. “I want the Omnitrix, now!” The robots nodded and prepared to do just that. But before they could, the smaller ship fired a blast at them with all the remaining power it had. That blast struck the bridge, causing a massive explosion that filled the room and made the alien scream in agony.
This triggered a chain reaction, causing the larger ship’s main cannon to charge and fire a huge blast that hit the back of the vessel, destroying everything except the very front.
As the ship’s remnants entered the atmosphere, something shot out of it—a strange-looking pod flying toward Earth. As it drew closer, the pod broke apart, releasing a metal sphere that continued toward the planet.
That night, the Rising Volt Tacklers discussed their next move. While Dot continued to look for information about the Black Rayquaza, Roy suggested they investigate the Ancient Poké Balls, and Diana said she knew someone who ran an antique shop who could help. As such, everyone decided to head there first thing in the morning.
In her room, Dot began sifting through all the reported sightings of the Black Rayquaza, trying to determine which were genuine and which were fake, with little success. “Ugh, this is so frustrating!” She threw her arms up.
“Quax…” Quaxly worriedly looked at her.
“Ugh… if I can’t tell which sightings are real and which are fake, we’ll never find the Black Rayquaza,” she muttered. “I could use a drink.”
Getting up from her chair, she and Quaxly made their way to the kitchen. But when they arrived, Dot was surprised to find Liko already there.
“Huh? Oh, hey, Dot,” Liko greeted, just as surprised to see Dot in the kitchen.
“What are you doing here?” Dot asked as Quaxly jumped onto the counter, joining Sprigatito, Hatenna, and Terapagos to eat some berries.
“Just wanted something to drink, is all,” Liko replied as Shuckle poured some juice into a bottle, chilled by Snorunt.
“You too, huh?” Dot gave a small smile.
“I guess you have the time to talk now?” Liko asked, offering Dot a glass of juice.
“Yeah, I guess I do,” Dot muttered, accepting the glass. “I… want to say thanks again,” she began. “For being pushy earlier.”
“Don’t mention it,” Liko replied with a small smile. “I’m just glad you got to have fun.”
“Yeah, and personally, I loved your curry more than Roy’s,” Dot admitted.
“Really?”
“Yep,” Dot blushed lightly. “And… I wouldn’t mind trying your curry again.”
Liko beamed at that. “Of course! I would love to make you more curry whenever you want.”
“You don’t have to go that far,” Dot muttered. “But I wouldn’t stop you from trying. And… maybe I can try my hand at making curry for you sometime. If you don’t mind?”
“I would love to try your curry, Dot,” Liko answered with a slight blush.
“Meow!”
“Hatenna!”
“Quaxly!”
The three Pokémon cheered. Liko smiled at them, but then she registered that, counting Shuckle and Snorunt, there were only five Pokémon in the kitchen with them. One’s missing.
“Where’s Terapagos?!” Liko exclaimed, causing everyone else to look around the kitchen frantically.
“It was here a minute ago,” Dot muttered.
Liko quickly ran outside, Sprigatito and Hatenna following. “Where could it have gone this time?” Liko wondered as they searched the deck.
“Tenna!” Hatenna pointed to the nearby woods. There, Liko saw Terapagos walking into the woods.
“How did it get over there so quickly?!” Liko panicked as she, Sprigatito, and Hatenna got off the Brave Olivine and ran after Terapagos.
Dot and Quaxly watched as Liko, Sprigatito, and Hatenna ran off into the woods after Terapagos. “Things can’t be easy for her, huh?”
“Quax-quaxly.”
Elsewhere in the world, in the Hoenn region, the staff at the famous Mossdeep Space Center worked tirelessly. They were either training potential astronaut candidates or monitoring space to help prepare those future astronauts. One team was specifically observing the planet’s atmosphere for any irregularities.
It wasn’t as exciting as it sounds. Most of the time, they spent hours combing through satellite footage. One of the scientists, though, was monitoring data from a satellite designed to track meteoroids and other space debris. He was drinking from his fourth cup of coffee when his instruments sounded. Putting the cup away, he looked over the data as a projected flight path appeared on his computer’s monitor.
“I think I’m tracking an unidentified meteoroid,” he called out, putting the projected flight path up on a large screen at the front of the room.
“Unidentified? Where did that one come from?”
“No clue,” he shrugged. “Just popped up on my screen.”
The director looked over the data being shown and wasn’t concerned. “Nothing to worry about. Calculations say that the meteoroid will pass harmlessly by the planet.” The director dipped a donut into his coffee. “Won’t even show up in the sky.”
The director began eating his coffee-dipped donut when someone called out. “Uh, the ‘meteoroid’ just took a hard right… Toward Earth!”
Spitting out his donut and dropping his mug, the director ran to the large screen, which showed that the tracked meteoroid had indeed turned 90° and was now on a collision course for Earth.
“How is that possible?”
“I’m not sure.” The director shook his head. “Where’s it heading?”
“New calculations suggest it’s heading for the Galar region.”
“Terapagos! Where are you?” Liko called out.
“Meooow!” Sprigatito cried out.
“Hat-hatenna!” Hatenna yelled.
“Pago!”
“Ah!” Liko, Sprigatito, and Hatenna turned toward the source of Terapagos’ faint cry and quickly ran to it. Arriving in a small clearing, they found Terapagos on a large rock, staring up at the sky. “There you are,” Liko said in relief as she approached the Tera Pokémon. “You need to stop wandering off like that.”
“Pago-pago!” Terapagos turned to them briefly before looking up again.
“Is something wrong, Terapagos?” Liko asked.
“Pago!” Terapagos gestured upward. Looking up, the three saw what had caught Terapagos’ attention: the stars were on full display, creating a beautiful illustration of the night sky.
“Oh, wow! It’s so pretty!” Liko smiled brightly, as did Sprigatito and Hatenna. They continued to look up at the night sky in awe for what felt like hours. “Look, a shooting star!” Liko excitedly pointed up toward a meteor shooting across the sky, but then she realized that something was off about it. “Uh… Is that shooting star getting bigger?”
“Meow?”
“Haten?”
“Pago?”
The three Pokémon looked and saw that Liko was right. The shooting star did seem to be getting bigger. Slowly, though, they realized why. The shooting star wasn’t getting bigger; it was getting closer. To them!
Gasping in horror, Liko grabbed the Pokémon and ran from the meteor as it crashed behind them, the resulting shockwave sending them all flying.
Groaning, Liko slowly sat up as the dust cleared. “Is everyone okay?”
Sprigatito shook her head, shaking off some of the dust before meowing.
“Hatenna!” Hatenna was trying to help Terapagos, who had fallen onto its back from the blast, but wasn’t having much success. Hatenna was having trouble lifting Terapagos off its back. Liko then walked up, gently picked up Terapagos, and set it back down.
“I’m glad you’re all okay,” Liko said in relief. She then turned her attention to the crater. The meteor’s white-hot light faded. Liko got up and peered inside the crater. “That isn’t a meteor,” she realized. It looked like it was made of metal, so was it a satellite? As she leaned in at the edge of the crater to get a better look, the ground beneath Liko suddenly gave way, sending her sliding down.
“Meow!” Sprigatito cried out in worry as she and the other two Pokémon stood at the crater’s edge.
“Don’t worry, I’m okay,” Liko reassured them as she got up. But she froze when the satellite suddenly hissed. Liko slowly turned to look at the orb-shaped satellite as it opened, revealing a green light. Hesitantly, Liko approached what she realized was a pod and peered inside.
“A… watch?” Liko asked, surprised to find such a thing in the capsule. The strange object in the pod did resemble a wristwatch, with a wide black-and-grey band. It had a dark grey faceplate in the middle with a green hourglass. “What’s a watch doing in outer space?”
“Meow?” Sprigatito muttered in worry.
“Haten…” Hatenna whispered in trepidation.
“Pago?” Terapagos looked on in wonder.
As for Liko, her own curiosity was getting to her. She moved a little closer to the pod for a better look at the watch, reaching out with her left hand. Suddenly, the watch sprang to life, launching itself out from the pod and latching onto Liko’s left wrist.
“Ah!” Screaming, Liko staggered back, frantically shaking her arm. “Get off! Get off!” Sprigatito and Hatenna quickly went to their trainer’s side as she climbed out of the crater in a panic. Once out, she turned her attention back to the thing on her wrist. She tried to pull and yank the watch off her, with Sprigatito and Hatenna helping as best they could, Terapagos looking on in worry. Every attempt ended in failure and pain.
“Ugh!” Liko flopped down to the ground. “This isn’t coming off, is it?” The three Pokémon all expressed worry for her as Liko looked at the watch again. “There’s gotta be a way to get this watch-thing off me.” She looked over the device and spotted a green button on its side. “Maybe this?” Liko pressed the green button, but instead of letting her remove the device from her wrist, it caused the dial to spring up. “Whoa!”
“Meow?”
“Haten?”
“Pago?”
The hourglass then transformed into a diamond shape, with a silhouette within it. “Huh? I wonder what happens when I push the dial.” Slowly, Liko’s finger pushed the dial back down. And as soon as she did, the watch exploded with a bright green light. The Pokémon were forced to look away for a moment as the light filled the surrounding woods.
Just as quickly as the light appeared, it vanished. The three Pokémon opened their eyes, only to be dumbstruck at what they saw.
Liko wasn’t there. Instead, a monster made of burning rock stood in her place. It was tall and slim, with a magma-like body covered in dark red rock; its entire skull was aflame, radiating fire.
The Pokémon had blank white eyes as they stared at the creature.
“AAAAARRRRRHHHHH!!!” Liko suddenly screamed, causing the Pokémon to scream as well. “I’m on fire! I’m on FIRE! Auuugh!!”
Liko ran around for a bit before dropping to the ground and rolling around, attempting to extinguish the fire to little success.
“Tenna!” Hatenna quickly ran up to the creature. “Tenna hatenna ten!”
“Hatenna?” Liko stopped rolling. “What’s wrong… W-wait…” Slowly, Liko got up and looked herself over, finally realizing that she was fine. “I’m on fire, but… I’m okay?”
“Meow?”
“Pago?”
Sprigatito and Terapagos cautiously approached the transformed Liko.
“W-What happened to me?!” Liko spoke again, perking up as her hands reached over to her throat, now noticing how much deeper and graver it sounded in comparison. “Did I… turn into a Pokémon?!”
“Meow?” Sprigatito tilted her head, unsure if that was what really happened to her trainer.
Liko looked at her four-fingered, magma-like hands. “Am I a Fire-type now?” She aimed one of her arms outward. Suddenly, a blast of fire shot out of her hand and struck a tree, setting part of it on fire. “WAH! Okay, guess that answers that.”
The three Pokémon were also surprised by Liko’s attack, but their surprise quickly turned to panic as the fire from the tree began spreading, and they cried out in alarm.
“Huh? Oh no!” Liko also noticed that the fire spread from tree to tree, quickly engulfing the forest. “Not good! Not good! Not good!” Liko rushed into the forest fire and tried to stomp it out on the ground, but all that did was create more sparks. “What do I do?! What do I do?!” Liko panicked as the fire continued to spread.
Back at the Brave Olivine, Dot and Quaxly were waiting on the deck. “Liko’s been gone a while, huh?”
“Quaxly.”
“I’m worried,” Dot muttered.
“It’s rare to see you out of your room this late.”
Dot turned to see Friede, without his goggles or jacket, walking up to her, Cap on his shoulder.
“We’re just waiting for Liko to come back,” Dot said to the Rising Volt Tacklers’ leader. “Terapagos wandered off again, and Liko went after it.”
Friede smiled in amusement. “That is one curious Pokémon.”
“Pika,” Cap nodded.
“Hoo hoo!” Noctowl suddenly cried out, causing everyone on the ship to step out onto the deck.
“What is it, Noctowl?” Friede asked.
“Hoo! Hoo!”
“Something’s got it worried,” Mollie muttered.
Roy then happened to glance out toward the forest, spotting smoke rising into the air. “Hey, what’s going on over there?” He pointed toward the smoke.
Friede looked and immediately realized what it could be. “Nothing good. It looks like the start of a forest fire.”
“What?!” Roy exclaimed.
“Fue!?”
“Wait…” Dot shook as she realized something. “Oh, crud! Liko’s in there!”
“WHAT!?” Diana exclaimed.
“Terapagos wandered off earlier, and Liko went after it… in there!” Dot pointed toward the fire.
“This isn’t good.” Friede was the first to run down the boarding ramp. “Murdock, have Rockruff track Liko’s scent! We need to get her out of there before dealing with the fire!”
“You heard the man, Rockruff!” Murdock turned to Rockruff. “Find Liko, and hurry!”
“Ruff!” Rockruff barked as it ran ahead.
“Wait for me!” Dot yelled as she and Quaxly chased after Rockruff.
“Dot, wait!”
Sprigatito, Hatenna, and Terapagos all stuck close to Liko, away from the raging flames of the forest fire, as Liko continued trying to put it out, with little success. “It’ll be okay, guys,” she tried to reassure them, only to flinch when a tree branch fell due to the flames. ‘I hope.’
Nearby, Dot and Quaxly followed Rockruff as Murdock’s Puppy Pokémon followed Liko’s scent, with Quaxly using Water Gun to put out any fires in their way. “Come on, Liko, where are you?” Dot muttered.
“Ruff!” Rockruff barked, indicating that they were close.
“You find her?” Dot asked. “Quaxly, clear us a path.”
“Quax-ly!” The Duckling Pokémon fired a Water Gun, putting out some flames blocking them.
“AHH!”
Only for one of the flames to scream in surprise.
“Huh?” Dot, Quaxly, and Rockruff could only stare in shock as a strange humanoid fire monster turned toward them. “Wh-what the?!”
“Uh, I know this is weird, but-” Liko tried to explain, but…
“Quaxly, use Pound and Water Gun!”
One of Quaxly’s wings glowed as he jumped, knocking Liko onto her rear.
“Ow! Hey, I-” Liko gagged as Quaxly fired a Water Gun at her head, which extinguished the fire on her head. After spitting out the water, Liko looked at Dot, Quaxly, and Rockruff, all in defensive stances, as the flame on her head reignited.
“Wh-what are you!?” Dot demanded. “What did you do to Liko!?”
“C-calm down, Dot!” Liko waved her arm.
“How do you know my name?!”
“Meow!” Sprigatito suddenly got between them, glaring at Dot.
“Huh?” Dot, Quaxly, and Rockruff all looked on in surprise as Hatenna and Terapagos joined Sprigatito. “What are you guys doing?”
“Dot, please listen!” Liko stood back up. “It’s me… Liko!” She shouted, holding up her hands.
Dot’s eyes widened at what she heard. “Liko… That’s you!? What happened to you?!”
“I’m still trying to figure it out myself,” Liko sighed.
“Dot!” Cried out another voice in the flames. Murdock ran toward them, followed by the other Rising Volt Tacklers. “Are you all… What in the-?!” They stopped when they saw Liko in her fire form.
“Good heavens!” Ludlow gasped from atop Metagross, his eyes wide.
“Whoa, what is that?!” Roy asked.
“It’s Liko… somehow,” Dot answered.
“Uh, hi everyone.” Liko gave a small wave.
“Liko?!” Diana gasped. “What happened?”
Before Liko could answer, a tree snapped and fell near them. “I’ll explain later. Right now we gotta stop this forest fire!”
“Do you think Quagsire can stop it?” Friede asked Ludlow.
“With a fire this big, not alone,” the oldest member of the Rising Volt Tacklers hummed, thinking for a moment. “Liko, do you think you could try to absorb the fire?”
“Huh?” Liko blinked in surprise. “You think I can do that?”
“Just try,” Ludlow encouraged.
“Uh… Okay…” Liko took a few steps closer to the fire. ‘How am I supposed to do this? Maybe… just feel it…’ Taking a breath, Liko decided to let instinct guide her, letting her body do what it needed to do. As if on autopilot, Liko held her hands out, palms open, toward the growing fire, but instead of letting her inner energy flow through her hands, she focused on the fire’s energy itself. She reached out to the energy that the fire emitted, feeling its heat, even its taste, and drew upon it, beckoning it to her.
The fire reacted, reaching toward Liko as if it had gained sentience. Wisps of heat and fire trailed from the source like a river of fire and energy, flowing toward and into Liko’s outstretched hands. Liko could feel the flow of energy into her, feeling the energy she expelled from the fireball already replaced and then some. Within seconds, the last of the energy seeped into Liko’s hands, and the fire she accidentally started began to die out.
“Amazing…” Friede muttered as he and the others watched in awe. “It’s like she has the Ability Flash Fire.”
“This should be more manageable,” Ludlow chuckled. “Quagsire, use Rain Dance followed by Surf!”
Back up in space, the larger ship continued to hover above the planet whilst taking in pieces of the destroyed ship.
Inside the ship, the robot from earlier was in a medical bay. In the center of the room was a large glass tube, filled with a strange liquid and many wires. “-wheeze- What do you mean it’s not there?” The alien from before snarled as the wires pulled up his remains. The alien creature’s body was almost completely destroyed, his left arm and legs gone, whilst his body had several holes in it, and a mask was covering his face. “This battle nearly cost me my life! -wheeze- And you say the Omnitrix is no longer on board the transport?!”
The robot nodded. “Sensor indicates a probe was jettisoned from the ship just before boarding. It landed on the planet below.”
“The planet of the superpowered creatures…!” The alien hissed and turned towards a shadow behind him. “Go!” He hissed to the figure. “Bring it to me!” The figure didn’t say anything as it turned to leave, emitting several whirling, mechanical noises. When it was gone, the alien activated the viewing screen. “Earth,” he spat the name out. “Once again, I find myself at this miserable armpit of the universe. But this time -wheeze- your greatest champion isn’t here to stop me!”
Once the fire had been put out, the Rising Volt Tacklers returned to their ship, or rather, the immediate area surrounding the Brave Olivine, and once the initial shock of Liko somehow turning into a fire-rock monster wore off, the most obvious question was asked: What happened?! As such, Liko explained everything as best she could.
“So this… watch just jumped up and clamped onto your wrist?” Diana asked, making sure she understood.
“I know it sounds crazy,” Liko, still a fire-rock monster, said, sitting on a nearby boulder. “But it’s the truth, I swear!”
Sprigatito, Hatenna, and Terapagos each cried out as if to verify her story.
“We believe you, Liko,” Friede said. “But I’m still trying to wrap my head around this. I mean… how is something like this even possible?”
“Do you think she’ll stay like this forever?” Mollie asked.
“What did you even turn into?” Orla asked. “Some kind of Pokémon?”
“Not like any Pokémon I’ve seen,” Diana said.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, either,” Friede added.
“I’ve been running searches on every website I could think of,” Dot, who was outside with them and typing on her Rotom Phone, said. “But I haven’t found anything even remotely like what Liko turned into.”
“She isn’t a Pokémon,” Ludlow spoke up. “She’s turned into an alien.”
“Huh? What makes you so sure?” Roy asked.
Ludlow faltered for a moment before answering. “Well, based on Liko’s story, it makes the most sense, doesn’t it?”
“I… guess so,” Dot muttered.
“Look, I don’t care what I am right now,” Liko said. “I just want to get back to normal.”
“Don’t worry, Liko. We’ll figure something out!” Roy said.
“Right,” Friede nodded. “If there was a way for you to become this, then there has to be a way for you to turn back. We just have to figure out what that is.”
“Pika!” Cap nodded in agreement and determination.
“But how long do you think that’ll take?” Liko asked. But before anyone could answer, a new sound filled the air.
It was a beeping noise, coming from the device on her chest. They looked down and saw the faceplate flashing red. “What’s that thing doing?” Murdock asked, only for the device to unleash a blinding flash of red light. When the light faded, everyone saw that the magma monster was gone. In its place was good old Liko, looking exactly like she had before she transformed.
“Hah! I’m me again!” She cheered happily. Sprigatito and Hatenna didn’t waste any time jumping onto their trainer and cuddling her, just as happy that she was back to normal.
“So the transformation is only temporary, huh?” Friede hummed in thought.
Diana walked up and affectionately rubbed Liko’s head. “Nice to see you back to normal!” She smiled as Arcanine began licking Liko’s face.
“Stop it, Arcanine!” Liko laughed.
Dot was tempted to join them, but stopped herself upon noticing the strange watch on Liko’s wrist. “Is that the watch you told us about?”
Liko reluctantly pushed Arcanine away as Sprigatito and Hatenna got off her as she looked at her wrist. “Yeah, this is it,” she nodded. “Though it’s red now, not green.” Sure enough, the device’s green bits were now red for some reason. She attempted to pull it off, but had as little luck as before. “It still won’t come off.”
“Better not mess with it anymore until we know what we’re dealing with,” Friede said, beginning to head for the woods. “Cap and I will check out the crash site. There might be a clue of some kind there.”
Back on the alien ship, a door opened, and a rocket launched towards the Earth. Following the sensor data, it flew in the same direction the pod had fallen, and soon enough, it entered the atmosphere and crashed down into the forest clearing with a loud bang. When the smoke cleared, the rocket was revealed to have struck the ground next to the crater.
Then, the rocket began to transform into a mantis-like robot with mechanical arms and three mechanical legs. The robot stood at around twelve meters tall and quickly turned towards the crater with the pod. Its robotic eyes zeroed in on the sphere, and when it saw there was nothing within, it held up an arm and fired a blast of energy from a gun in its hand.
The energy struck the sphere, causing it to explode, whilst the robot’s shoulders opened, launching two metal disks. Those disks opened into a pair of flying-saucer-like robots with multiple weapon arms, which then flew off to hunt down their target.
In the Brave Olivine’s conference room, Liko sat at the table, staring at the strange device on her wrist, something she had been doing for the last several minutes. She didn’t dare mess with it after what happened before, even after it let out a beep and turned back to green. “What am I going to do with this thing?”
“A watch-like device that transforms its wearer,” Dot muttered, sitting across from Liko. “It sounds like something from an anime.”
“So, Liko, what was it like?” Roy asked.
“Huh?” Liko blinked, looking at Roy.
“What was it like being an alien?” Roy clarified.
Liko hummed in thought. “How do I put it? It was… I still felt like I was me, but at the same time, I felt like I was someone else. Does that make sense?”
“I… guess…?” Dot muttered.
“So what else do you think that thing can do?” Roy asked.
“Let’s wait for Friede to get back first before we find out,” Liko muttered.
Back at the pod’s crash site, Friede and Cap had arrived. “This must be it,” Friede muttered, shining a flashlight down into the crater. Only, instead of a pod as Liko described, the two found only broken fragments.
“Pika,” Cap muttered as he picked up a destroyed piece of the pod.
Friede picked up one piece as well and noticed the singe marks on it. “Something happened here after Liko found that watch.” He shone his flashlight on the nearby trees, while Cap went in the opposite direction. “It couldn’t have been the fire; the trees here are still okay.”
“Pika!”
“You found something, Cap?” Friede got out of the crater and went to Cap. What he found was the site of another impact, along with traces of something big moving through the woods. “What could’ve done this?”
“Pika…”
Once Friede and Cap got back to the ship, everyone gathered in the conference room. “Did you find anything?” Diana asked.
“No.” Friede and Cap shook their heads. “The pod was destroyed,” Friede said, placing some of the pod’s broken fragments on the table as proof. “This was all that was left of it.”
“Destroyed?” Liko muttered. “How did that happen?”
“I’m not sure,” Friede said. “It couldn’t have been the fire; the trees weren’t burnt. It’s possible the pod self-destructed not long after Liko left with the watch.”
“So we still don’t know anything about that thing,” Mollie summed up.
“Well, there may be one way to find out,” Roy spoke up. “Liko should use it again.”
“Huh?” Liko blinked.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Roy?” Dot asked.
“Come on, we all saw what Liko was able to do before. Imagine what other powers this thing could give her!” Roy argued.
“Gotta be honest, I’m curious to see what else it can do, too,” Orla admitted.
“But is it safe?” Mollie asked. “I mean, what if she turns into some kind of mindless monster?”
“I am still here, remember?” Liko sweat-dropped.
“In that case, what do you think, Liko?” Diana asked.
“Me? Uh…” Liko looked down at the watch, her own curiosity getting the best of her again. “Alright,” Liko relented. “I’ll use it again.”
“We should take this outside, then,” Friede suggested. “We don’t want the Brave Olivine to catch fire, do we?”
Liko plopped down onto the table. “That’s gonna be with me forever, isn’t it?”
“Tenna-hat,” Hatenna gently patted Liko’s head to comfort her.
Everyone made their way out of the Brave Olivine, with Liko standing several feet from the ship, to be on the safe side.
“This should be far enough…” Liko muttered. She looked at all the expectant faces of her friends, Roy and Friede especially, before she sighed. ‘Let’s get this over with.’ She raised her wrist with the device. “If I remember right, I just push this button…” The dial popped up, and, just like before, it showed a silhouette. ‘I wonder what happens if I turn the dial?’ She turned the dial, and as she did, the silhouette shifted to reveal another shape.
“Huh,” was all she could say before spinning it again. The shape changed, and Liko kept count of each silhouette she didn’t recognize. “It looks like there are ten options.”
“Oh, that sounds cool,” Roy beamed. “So, which one will you pick?”
“Hmm,” Liko kept turning the dial before settling on one. By now, she was just as excited as the others to see what she would turn into. “Here goes.” She took a deep breath before she pushed the dial down.
The Rising Volt Tacklers had to shield their eyes from the flash of green light, but when the light faded, they looked back and saw Liko’s new form.
It was unlike her previous form. Liko now resembled a feline-like creature, with pure blue eyes, light and dark purple fur covering her body, a blue mark on her forehead, and a triangle-shaped nose, standing about five feet tall. Her torso, arms down to her biceps, and legs down to her knees were covered in a skin-tight white-and-turquoise jumpsuit, with a yellow-white lining separating the two colors. Like with the magma creature, the watch’s faceplate was on her chest.
“Liko?” Dot asked. “Is that still you in there?”
“Yeah?” Liko replied, her voice now lighter. She then lifted one of her legs and examined it, looking at her bare foot, which possessed only three sharp-nailed toes. “This feels… different.”
“Meow?” Sprigatito walked up to Liko, noting the odd familiarity with Liko’s new form. Hatenna and Terapagos were right behind her, looking at Liko in awe.
“So what can this one do?” Roy excitedly asked, stars in his eyes.
“I don’t know, I- Oh…” Liko suddenly realized how energetic she felt. “Why do I feel so… excited? Yeah, I can feel it.” Liko felt more energetic than she ever had, almost buzzing with energy, but not the kind that she could expel, more like adrenaline and the need to run.
“Uh, Liko, are you okay?” Mollie asked, slightly worried at Liko’s change in attitude.
“I feel fine, but I can’t contain myself. I-I… Gotta go fast!” Liko cut herself off as she took a running start and sped down the clear path. But all the Rising Volt Tacklers could see was a purple blur, a dust trail Liko left behind, along with the rush of wind from when she passed them.
“…Well, at least we know she’s fast like that,” Friede sweat-dropped while smiling.
“You don’t say,” Orla deadpanned.
Everyone else had their jaws dropped at how fast Liko ran off.
“WOOHOO!” Liko exclaimed as she ran around the woods, a purple blur to anything that spotted her. “This is amazing!” She laughed as she jumped over a sleeping Onix with ease. “Wait, how do I slow- AHH!” She tried to slow down upon realizing she was heading right for the lake where Drednaw lived, only to trip over something, bounce along the ground, barely miss the lake, and crash into a tree with a loud thud.
“Drednaw?” The Drednaw looked up from its lake home to see Liko, stuck upside down in the indent she had made in the tree.
“Ow…” Liko muttered. She then saw the Drednaw staring at her quizzically. “Sorry for disturbing you.”
“Drednaw…” the Bite Pokémon yawned before going back to sleep.
Liko then pried herself out of the tree trunk. “This is gonna take some getting used to… Wait, is it morning already?” She asked upon noticing how well she could see. “No, it’s still night,” she said, going over to the lake and looking at her reflection, where she found that her pure blue eyes were almost glowing. “I have night vision!” She realized.
“Greedent~!”
Liko’s ears twitched at the sound. She looked across the lake and saw a Greedent sitting by a tree, happily eating several berries at once. Thing is, the tree was a good 20 feet from the lake shore, and Liko knew she normally wouldn’t have been able to hear that.
“Wow…” Liko muttered. “I can hear that Greedent so easily, as if I were underneath that tree. I wonder what else I can do?”
Then, her ears twitched at a new sound. A robotic humming, and it was nearby.
“What is that?” She turned towards the sound, and her eyes went wide when she saw a strange-looking flying saucer flying towards her. “What the?” She was then horrified to find one of its arms pointing a gun at her. “WAH!” She leapt out of the way as the gun fired a red laser, causing the ground beneath Liko to explode.
Liko ran back to the Brave Olivine through the forest with the robot giving chase. The drone weaved and flew around the trees and branches while aiming and firing at Liko. Thankfully, Liko was able to use her ears to pick up the trajectory and angle of their fire and dodge accordingly. The laser fire blasted either the ground or the trees.
But Liko realized that leading the drone back to the ship and to the others was a bad idea. ‘I gotta do something!’ She sped up, zigzagging around the trees and bushes to try to throw the drone off course, but it was quick and evasive. As it managed to get her in its line of sight, Liko ducked into a crouch, the lasers sailing overhead and striking the ground a few yards away. Liko shifted directions again, running up a tree before jumping off and landing on the drone.
The drone tried to shake off Liko by moving its entire body, but she held on tightly, claws digging in. Acting instinctively, Liko shouted and punched into the drone’s head sensors, piercing through them and grabbing some wires. With a quick tug, she pulled them out effortlessly. “Okay, I’m stronger than I thought,” she murmured.
Liko then ripped the wires out, robbing the drone of its sight. As a result, the drone started sparking and veering around wildly.
“Whoa! Easy there!” Liko yelled as she tried to hold on. Suddenly, the watch’s symbol began to beep red. “Oh no!” Then her eyes widened upon realizing the drone was heading for a cliff wall. “Time to get off!”
Liko jumped off the drone right before it crashed into the cliff and exploded, landing in a soft bush of leaves. At which point, the red light flashed, and Liko emerged from the bush back to normal, though some leaves and a twig were stuck in her hair.
“That was close…” Liko sighed.
“Liko!”
Liko perked up upon hearing Dot’s voice, accompanied by Quaxly, Sprigatito, and Hatenna, with Terapagos in Dot’s arms. Sprigatito and Hatenna quickly ran up to their trainer, expressing concern as Dot caught up.
“Are you okay?” Dot asked.
“Yeah, but how did you find me?” Liko asked.
“It’s kinda hard to miss that red flash when you turn back,” Dot answered as she put Terapagos down. “We got worried when you zoomed off, so we went looking.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Liko smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“By the way, what was that explosion?”
“Oh, uh,” Liko looked back at the drone’s smoldering remains. “It was some… kind of… robot…” Liko trailed off, her eyes widening.
“Liko?” Dot tilted her head, only to notice the Pokémon were all glaring at something behind her. Turning around, Dot gasped at another flying saucer-like robot that aimed its gun arm at Liko.
“Uh, hi?” Liko greeted fearfully.
Quaxly and Sprigatito quickly got between the drone and their trainers, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.
“Arcanine, use Extreme Speed!”
The drone was suddenly slammed into by Arcanine, with Diana riding atop her partner as they landed defensively in front of Liko and Dot.
“Grandma!” Liko smiled in relief.
“You can’t stay out of trouble, can ya?” Diana asked with a small smile.
The drone, now with a large dent from Arcanine’s attack that exposed some sparking wires, aimed its weapons at the new intruders.
“Cap, finish it off with Thunderbolt!”
The drone turned its head around in time to see Cap begin to glow with a yellow electrical aura. Then, he fired the attack with a loud cry. The bolt of lightning struck the machine instantly, bathing it in a yellow glow. The device bent, groaned, and hissed threateningly before it exploded.
Friede, with Cap on his shoulder, ran up to them as the smoke from the exploded drone subsided. “Everyone okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine,” Liko nodded.
Smiling in relief, Friede turned around. “Let’s get back to the ship before any more show up.”
Back on the Brave Olivine’s captain’s deck, Liko recounted to everyone how the first drone suddenly appeared and attacked her, along with the second drone that Diana and Friede had taken care of. “Those robots must have been after the watch,” she muttered once she finished.
“Do you think the Explorers could’ve sent them?” Murdock asked.
“No, this doesn’t seem to be their style,” Friede argued. “Besides, that thing literally just dropped out of the sky less than two hours ago. I doubt they could’ve found out about it and sent those things so fast.”
“Then who did send them?” Orla asked.
Ludlow remained quiet, deep in thought.
“Does it matter?” Liko asked, staring at the device on her wrist, feeling conflicted. “What matters is that I’m being targeted… again.” And if she was targeted because of this watch, that means everyone around her is also in danger.
“Whatever the case may be, I think it’s clear we’ve overstayed our welcome.” Friede grabbed hold of the ship’s wheel. “I know it’s pretty late, but let’s get ready to take off right away.”
“Pika,” Cap nodded from his seat.
Suddenly, one of the ship’s control panels began buzzing.
“What’s going on?” Roy asked.
Ludlow walked up to the panel and began turning a dial. “The Olivine’s old radio is picking up an emergency broadcast.”
Once Ludlow honed in on the frequency, a message blared across the deck. {“Mayday! Mayday! Someone, please help! This is the Wild Area Train Station, and we’re being attacked by - and I know this sounds crazy - a robot!”}
“A robot?” Liko muttered nervously, looking at the watch again.
“It must be more of those things that attacked you, Liko,” Dot realized.
“All those people are in trouble… because of me,” Liko muttered. “I… I have to help them!”
Diana looked at Liko in surprise, then smiled proudly. “Not alone,” she declared.
“Yeah!” Roy nodded as he stood up. “We’ll help, too!”
“Fue!” Fuecoco cheered.
“We all will,” Dot added.
“Quaxly!”
“Meow!” Sprigatito cried out, determined.
One by one, the Rising Volt Tacklers all declared their intent to help Liko.
“Everyone…” Liko smiled.
“Pago!” Terapagos cried out, wanting to help also.
“No, Terapagos,” Liko reprimanded the Tera Pokémon. “You should stay here on the ship, where it’s safe.”
“Pago?”
“We’ll keep an eye on Terapagos and the Olivine,” Murdock declared, referring to himself, Orla, Mollie, and Ludlow.
Liko and Dot rode with Diana on Arcanine while Roy rode with Friede on Charizard, heading toward the train station. “I see smoke!” Friede told the ladies through his Rotom Phone. “We’re almost there.”
“Right,” Diana nodded.
“Liko, what do you plan to do once we get there?” Dot asked.
“Whatever I can,” Liko answered.
Arcanine then stopped at the edge of the woods near the train station, the glow of the destruction visible through the trees.
“If you’re gonna change, Liko, this is probably the best place to do so,” Diana said as Charizard landed next to them.
Nodding, Liko got off Arcanine. “Sprigatito, Hatenna, you stick with grandma until this is over, okay?”
“Meow.”
“Tenna.”
Sprigatito and Hatenna both nodded, staying on Arcanine with Diana.
Liko took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “Okay,” she switched on the device and started cycling through the images before stopping on one. “This one looks pretty good.” With that, she slapped the watch down, and it unleashed the bright green light.
When the light faded, Friede, Roy, Dot, Diana, and the Pokémon were greeted by a six-and-a-half-foot humanoid that seemed to be made of an aquamarine crystalline substance. She was wearing a sleeveless navy bodysuit with a white “V” stripe in the middle. She had a flat-top head, full, pure blue eyes, and two small crystal spikes sticking out of the back of her suit, whilst the watch symbol was on her chest.
“So what do you think this alien can do?” Dot asked.
“I don’t know,” Liko admitted. “But I hope it’ll be enough.”
With that, the Rising Volt Tacklers rushed toward the train station, only to find it absolutely trashed. The train station was completely demolished, with burning wreckage all over. The area was littered with destroyed train cars, and the surrounding ground had several large holes. Then they were greeted by the sight of the mantis-like robot they had heard about.
“That’s… bigger than the last two,” Liko muttered.
“The way it’s moving.” Friede’s eyes widened. “I think that was at the crash site of the pod.”
“What makes you so sure?” Diana asked.
“The footprints it’s leaving are just like the ones from the second crash site,” Friede revealed.
“Wait, second crash site?” Dot questioned.
“Oh, uh, did I forget to mention that?” Friede sheepishly asked.
“Yes, you did!” Liko, Dot, and Roy all exclaimed.
“Pika…” Cap deadpanned.
Sighing, Liko looked back at the rampaging robot. “I’ll keep it distracted. You guys get everyone to safety.”
“Be careful, Liko,” Friede told her as they ran off.
The robot made its way through the train wreckage, looking at the people and Pokémon fleeing, until its gaze fell on someone. A train conductor ran up to a woman sitting on the ground to help her to safety. But this act of heroism made him a target for the robot, which grabbed him.
“Hey! Leave him alone!” Liko called out to the robot. “Looking for me?”
The robot did not reply verbally; it simply scanned the new arrival with its red sensors. Its vision circled and landed on the watch’s symbol on Liko’s chest. Its sensors beeping at its found target, the robot turned its full attention to Liko as it dropped the train conductor and blasted Liko away. She landed in an empty train car. A second later, the robot fired its laser, causing the machine to explode.
“Liko!” Dot yelled; she and the others watched in worry. But to their surprise, a crystal blade shot up through the metal, cutting it open. Liko pulled herself out of the blasted train car completely fine. She then looked at her bladed crystal arm as several more spikes grew from it.
“Wow…” She took a moment to marvel at her new ability as the robot got closer. Pulling herself up out of the metal, she charged forward and tried to slash at the robot’s leg. But the machine suddenly shot straight up, clearing a good fifty feet before falling back towards the ground. “Uh oh,” was all she had time to say before the robot slammed down on top of her.
Meanwhile, Arcanine, along with Sprigatito and Hatenna, carried some of the injured wild Pokémon away to the nearby woods. “Tenna…” Hatenna muttered; the fear radiating from every living thing nearby was close to overwhelming her.
“Meow,” Sprigatito began rubbing her paws, releasing a calming aroma for Hatenna. It seemed to work, as Hatenna began to feel better.
“Hatenna!”
“Meow!”
Nearby, Diana, Dot, and Quaxly got to the shaken train conductor. “Are you alright?” Diana asked as they helped him to his feet.
“I think so,” he muttered. “But what in the world is going on here?!”
“You probably wouldn’t believe us if we told you,” Dot replied. “Now come on.” She took off with Diana and the Pokémon following after her. The train conductor hesitated for a moment before the sounds of the fight between Liko and the robot made him run.
While most fled and hid, some stayed behind to watch the fight between the giant robot and the woman made of diamonds. Some were even recording the event in front of them on their Rotom Phones.
“Dude! This is nuts! It’s a giant robot!”
“Yeah, but what’s it fighting? A Pokémon?”
“I’ve never seen a Pokémon like that before.”
“You think it’s a new species?”
“I don’t know. I’m pretty sure most Pokémon don’t talk, though.”
“Uh, I think they’re struggling a little.”
Liko struggled against the machine as it threw her like a rag doll. Getting up, Liko let out a yelp as the robot grabbed her. Only Liko’s left arm was free, and as she swung it around, the robot grabbed it in its other hand.
“Ahhh!” She cried, feeling the robot trying to rip her in two. But before it could, she reshaped her fist into a blade and used all her strength to rip right through the machine’s fingers. The robot looked at its destroyed hand, then back to Liko, as if to glare at her. “Uh… sorry?”
In retaliation, the robot blasted her away with the laser in the palm that held her. The Rising Volt Tacklers could only watch in horror as Liko flew through the air and crashed into the station.
Liko groaned as she stood and climbed out of the hole in the station, glaring at the robot as it approached.
As the machine drew closer, Liko thrust her hand out to shield her face, and, to her surprise, a crystal shard shot from it. It shot through the air and embedded itself in the robot’s chest, making it stagger back.
“Projectiles?” She questioned, but only for a moment. Before the robot could recover, Liko started firing more and more crystals at the machine, causing serious damage. But eventually, the robot fired a powerful beam at her, which slammed into the crystalline alien. “WAH!” She screamed as she was blasted back a few hundred feet until she smashed into the engine of a train. “Ow,” she actually felt that one as she picked herself up. She gasped as the machine once again fired another laser blast.
Liko rolled away from the blast as she fired back, in turn. “I gotta figure out how to beat this thing before anyone gets hurt in the crossfire,” she muttered.
The robot didn’t leave her any room for thought as it fired another laser blast. Unable to evade in time, Liko raised her bladed arms to shield herself from the blast. The laser reflected off the arms, splitting in two: one struck the robot’s shoulder, and the other hit a tree beside it.
Lowering her slightly smoking arms and seeing the results, she had an idea as she grinned. “Reflection. Of course!”
Liko stood tall and glared up at the machine. “Come on!” She yelled while pointing at her chest. “Hit me with your best shot!” The machine seemed to take this taunt and charged up another blast, while Liko brought her hands together, causing crystals to grow around them, forming a spiked bowl.
When the machine fired, she held up the bowl, and the laser slammed into it. Liko staggered back a few inches but managed to regain her footing and stop the laser in its tracks. “You know what they say… what goes around comes around!” She yelled whilst reshaping the bowl until the laser’s bounce-back was pointed directly at the robot. With that, the laser blasted into the robot, lifting it into the air before slashing it clean in two.
The two pieces sparked, then exploded into a million pieces. The explosion filled the air, signaling the end of the battle, as many people who had taken shelter emerged from hiding.
It took Liko a few moments to realize what she had just done. “I did it…? I did it!” She cheered, and she wasn’t the only one. The crowd was cheering just as loudly for their alien savior. Liko froze at the sudden praise, having not expected it at all. A feeling of warmth and accomplishment bubbled inside her chest.
“Alright!” Liko looked over and saw Diana, Friede, Roy, and Dot all cheering with the Pokémon.
“Way to go, Li-” Dot stopped herself. “Uhh…diamond…headed lady!” She quickly amended. She couldn’t believe she almost gave the secret away there.
Liko would’ve enjoyed their praise more if she weren’t strapped for time. As in, her grandmother motioned for her to leave before news crews showed up and tried to interview her. “U-uh…thank you, everyone! I was only looking out for you all! Goodbye!” With that, she ran off.
“Who in the world was that?” Someone asked, with the other witnesses all wondering the same thing.
Diana, Friede, Roy, and Dot all smiled as they and the Pokémon snuck off.
Back in space, the ship was covered in giant robots working to repair the damage. Inside, the alien had just been told the bad news. “Failure?” He asked, the robot nodding. “Unbelievable!” He gasped and slowly regained his breath. “The puny Earth being that is keeping the Omnitrix from me -wheeze- will soon hang on my trophy wall.”
“Shall I send more Mechadroids to retrieve the Omnitrix?” The lieutenant asked.
“No,” the alien replied. “The creatures of this world are too grave a threat to take lightly -wheeze- and more droids will only hinder and expose ourselves to our enemies,” he reasoned. “Time is what we need. -wheeze- Time to recover and build strength. And if the one who wields the Omnitrix becomes a weed in my plans, I shall tear them, root and stem,” he boasted, his red eyes narrowing with glowing, unbound hatred. “The Earthling may rest easy for now -wheeze- but soon, they will fall to my magnitude, and then the universe will bend before the might of Vilgax!”
With that, the tube was suddenly covered with a metal casing, with a single glass triangle to let Vilgax see outside. He had much planning to do.
The next day, news about the mysterious robot attack on the Wild Area Station spread across the Galar region, along with reports of the mysterious savior who defeated the robot.
Most of the Rising Volt Tacklers had gathered in the conference room for breakfast, with all of the Pokémon present.
“News about Liko has been on all morning,” Orla said, her Rotom Phone showing a news story about the battle with video footage.
“No kidding,” Mollie said, reading a news story about the event. “The International Police have already cordoned off the area and confiscated the remains of the robot.”
“You guys should’ve seen it!” Roy beamed. “Liko was so cool taking out that giant robot!”
“Meow!” Sprigatito cheered in agreement; she, Hatenna, and Terapagos were already present and eating with the other Pokémon.
“It did sound exciting,” Murdock smiled as he placed a stack of pancakes on the table.
“It sure was,” Diana nodded.
“By the way, apparently people are calling that crystal form she used ‘Diamondhead’,” Friede said, holding his Rotom Phone.
“Isn’t that what Dot called Liko?” Roy asked.
“Yeah, what about it?” Dot asked as she entered the conference room.
“You here to eat with us?” Murdock asked hopefully.
“I only came to get some Berry Juice,” Dot told her uncle, taking a glass as Shuckle filled it. “By the way, where’s Liko?” She asked.
Sprigatito, Hatenna, and Terapagos all looked up from their bowls, wondering where Liko was, too.
“Her Pokémon and Terapagos are here, so why isn’t she?” Roy asked.
“Maybe she’s still in her room?” Mollie suggested.
“That’s odd. She’s normally up by now,” Friede noted.
Just then, the door to the conference room opened, and in walked Liko. Only she was a mess, her hair uncombed, bags under her eyes, and she hadn’t changed out of her pajamas.
“Liko?” Diana questioned; she and everyone else were surprised by her disheveled state.
“Morning… *yawn*,” Liko greeted tiredly.
“You look horrible.” Dot handed her the glass of Berry Juice. “Didn’t get enough sleep last night?”
“…You could say that,” Liko said, taking a sip of juice.
“Yeah, last night got pretty crazy,” Dot said, nodding. “You okay?”
“…I’m not sure.” Liko looked at the watch. “I couldn’t sleep because I was distracted last night… or something like that. I… don’t know what I’m feeling. I guess an odd mix of fear and confidence. Like… when you know it’s time to do something important. I mean, everyone at the station was in danger because I found this watch. It was all on me to help.”
“You were basically a superhero last night!” Roy said excitedly.
“I don’t think that’s the point she’s trying to make, Roy.” Murdock sweat-dropped.
“That’s what it’s like to be a hero,” Ludlow said.
“Really?” Liko blinked.
“Uh-huh,” Ludlow said, nodding as he sipped his tea. “You’ve already had a responsibility with Terapagos, but now that device has given you another one.”
“He’s right,” Diana chimed in. “There must’ve been a reason you found that thing. Just like how there’s a reason Terapagos responded to you when it was just a pendant.”
“But whoever sent those robots is still out there,” Liko pointed out. “What if they send more?”
“Then we’ll deal with them,” Friede simply said. “They can’t be any worse than the Explorers, after all.”
“Friede…” Orla shook her head, though she still smiled.
“You’re like the Ancient Adventurer now,” Roy added. “A hero!”
“Hero? Me?” Liko questioned.
“Yep. Plus, we’ll help you figure out what that watch can do,” Dot added. “After all, we’re friends, right?”
“…Right,” Liko nodded, smiling. She then held out her fist, and everyone else joined in as the Rising Volt Tacklers performed their special handshake. ‘They’re right,’ Liko thought. ‘I might not know what this watch is or where it came from, but I’ll use it to help people. That I promise.’