Lapras and Kleavor greeting each other
Liko, Roy, Dot, Friede, and Perrin continue their search of Kleavor of the Six Heroes on Tengu Mountain. As they keep finding more gouges that Kleavor has left behind, Liko dons Lucius's belt. The group arrives at a waterfall, where they witness a tree falling down it being sliced apart in an instant, with Kleavor revealing itself from behind the waterfall only moments later. Unexpectedly, Lapras releases itself from its Ancient Poké Ball and glares at Kleavor. Liko suddenly realizes why the gouges left behind by Kleavor have looked familiar to her; they are identical to the scars on Lapras's neck, meaning that it received those wounds from Kleavor. The two members of the Six Heroes start fighting each other, forcing the group to take cover as the two powerful Pokémon exchange blow after blow. However, the battle soon ends as suddenly as it started, leading the group to a relieving realization that them fighting was just their way of greeting each other. With Kleavor calmed down for the moment, Liko addresses it and asks it to join them so they can fulfill Lucius's promise and reach Laqua. Following a moment of contemplation, Kleavor disappears behind the waterfall again. Lapras solemnly returns to its Ancient Poké Ball, but both Liko and Roy remain determined to continue the pursuit.
Perrin figures out that there must be something behind the waterfall if Kleavor disappeared there. Roy, upon inspection, indeed finds a hidden cave entrance behind the waterfall. The group enters the hidden limestone cave, where they discover even more gouge marks. Friede deduces that the systematic marks must be signs of Kleavor having trained in the cave. While the group traverses through the cave, Perrin's Growlithe gets distracted by a Noibat, forcing Perrin and Friede to chase after it, leaving the children to continue the pursuit on their own. Following a breeze coming from outside, they find themselves in a bamboo grove, where the ground is littered with pieces of bamboo cut up by Kleavor, which they spot in front of them doing just that. Kleavor turns to face them, which they take as an invitation to a battle to test their strength. Not wanting to let Kleavor get away while they wait for Friede, the children call forth their respective first partner Pokémon and begin the confrontation.
The group's first wave of attacks comes in the form of Floragato's Magical Leaf, Crocalor's Stomping Tantrum, and Quaxwell's Air Cutter, but Kleavor blocks each of them with ease without even moving from the spot where it's standing. Next, they try more direct attacks with Acrobatics, Flame Charge, and Liquidation, but Kleavor easily shrugs the hits off. Dot decides the best strategy is to keep dodging Kleavor's attacks and build up damage on it over time. As such, the group repeats their previous attacks a couple times, before an unfazed Kleavor suddenly disappears deeper into the grove, prompting the children and their Pokémon to pursue. The partner Pokémon surround Kleavor and try to attack it again, only for it to easily avoid all of them and send them tumbling to the ground, leaving them wide open for the receiving end of a powerful X-Scissor. Dot is horrified when she realizes that Kleavor wasn't trying to flee from them earlier, but was purposefully luring them to this spot, where the obstructing bamboo works to its advantage, allowing it to avoid incoming attacks based on sound alone. With their Pokémon unable to land a single hit on their opponent, they decide on a tactical retreat, but Kleavor raises a ring of stone pillars around the area, keeping them trapped in the unfavorable fight.
The children are forced to keep fighting, though their attacks are still failing to land. Roy has Crocalor express his determination by building up a lot of heat for a Flame Charge. Before the attack can go off, though, the heat of the flames causes some bamboo pieces at Crocalor's feet to pop apart, startling Crocalor and even grabbing Kleavor's attention. Examining the bamboo pieces that Kleavor had cut apart, Roy gets an idea, having Crocalor build up another Flame Charge and run rapidly in circles around Kleavor. Roy explains that his grandfather had taught him how there's air trapped between bamboo nodes. When exposed to the heat of fire, this air will expand and eventually cause the bamboo pieces to burst open. With bamboo pieces loudly snapping open all around it, Kleavor's focus is completely thrown off, leaving it unable to predict where incoming attacks are coming from and allowing the group's Pokémon to finally land proper hits on it. This situation soon forces Kleavor itself to make a tactical retreat, climbing outside the ring of stone pillars, where Friede and Perrin have just found their way out of the cave. The group breaks through the stone pillars and launches another series of attacks at Kleavor. Before the attacks can hit, however, Kleavor launches a powerful counterattack with a move that Friede identifies as Stone Axe. While the power of this attack intimidates the children, Liko realizes that Kleavor resorting to using its best moves means that it's feeling cornered. Reassured by this realization, Liko pulls out her Tera Orb and Terastallizes Floragato. Roy and Dot follow her example and Terastallize their own partner Pokémon as well. Powered by Terastallization, the three partner Pokémon power through another Stone Axe to deal a trio of heavy hits on Kleavor. Kleavor falls on its knee, but the group's celebration is cut short when Kleavor still manages to smack them back, the damage from the Stone Axe's splinters being enough to defeat them, though Kleavor too is left stumbling from exhaustion.
Kleavor's first meeting with Lucius
Once the group has finished healing their Pokémon, Kleavor stands up and motions the group to follow it. The Axe Pokémon leads the group out of the bamboo grove and and onto a cliff that provides a view of Oni Mountain in the distance. While the group admires the breathtaking sunset view, Kleavor smashes open a nearby boulder, revealing an Ancient Poké Ball. As with other of Lucius's Pokémon, Kleavor releases a shining sphere of light from its body, which envelops the group and transports them into a vision of the past, showcasing Lucius defending a tied-up Kleavor from a group of angry villagers. Lucius frees Kleavor from its bonds, but when it still tries to attack him, Lapras emerges and takes the hit for Lucius, producing the scars seen on its neck. Lucius recognizes that Kleavor's rampage hasn't ended yet, so he invites it to test its strength on an adventure to discover a paradise he's searching for. After a moment of consideration, Kleavor accepts and enters one of Lucius's Ancient Poké Balls, becoming his Pokémon. Smiling happily, Lucius addresses an individual named Rystal and tells them it's time to go. The vision fades away, and while the group wonders who Rystal could be, Kleavor returns to its Ancient Poké Ball, which Liko happily picks up. Friede figures that Kleavor must have been waiting all this time for someone whom it could trust and travel with in order to use its well-honed strength to aid its allies once more.
Heading down the mountain, Perrin informs the group that she'll be heading off now, the numerous photos she's taken with them having provided her with plenty of motivation to continue her career as a photographer. She promises to not publish any images of Terapagos or Kleavor and looks forward to witnessing how much the children have grown when they meet again, before waving them goodbye. Liko, Roy, Dot, and Friede, meanwhile, return to the Brave Olivine to report their discoveries to the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers. The next day, while in her room, Liko hears a knock on the window and is surprised to see her grandmother's Squawkabilly.
