The episode begins with Lillie walking up to Absol, offering it a treat in the hopes of gaining its attention

"I know you've never taken much of an interest in me, and I know this was never what you asked for...", Lillie tells it, "but I want us to be able to work together, as Pokémon and trainer!"

Absol gives Lillie a skeptical look, as if it's waiting for her to say the right thing. This gets Lillie nervous

"Absol, please", Lillie says, "I want us to do this. Father's counting on us!"

As soon as she said that, Absol gave Lillie a disappointing glare and ran the other direction, lying down once again. This gets Lillie saddened

"What am I doing wrong?", Lillie asks herself quietly

Chloe and the farmer walk up to her

"It's ok", the farmer tells her, as she puts her hand on her shoulder, "some Pokémon just take a little longer to get used to their trainers than others. You'll get it eventually."

"Excuse me", Chloe asks the farmer, "we need black and white Wooloo tuft to make these reins of unity, but we also need something called a 'radiant petal'. Do you have one?"

"Well, I don't know about a-", before the farmer can finish, however, Calyrex possesses her, startling the girls

"Do you always have to do that??", Lillie asks

"The radiant petal can only be found in an oasis in the middle of the forest", Calyrex explains, as it points into a direction onto the woods, "follow the ancient stone marks, and you will find yourself there eventually"

Calyrex then releases the farmer, which leads to the farmer seeing Calyrex and freaking out. Lillie and Chloe explain that Calyrex is the King of the Harvest, and that he only possessed her to speak. The farmer nods very nervously, and tells them to do what they need to do

Lillie looks into the direction Calyrex pointed, and decides to head into that direction. She begins to return Absol, but instead decides to leave it out as she has an idea

"Hey, Absol?", Lillie asks it, grabbing its attention, "The first time I bonded with Snowy was by going on a walk. Do you want to come with me to find this radiant petal?"

Absol looks at her for a moment, seemingly contemplating, but then lays back down. Lillie begins to walk into the woods in search of the radiant petal, but much to her surprise, Absol appears near her and begins to head into the woods itself. Lillie stands there and questions why this is, but Absol moves its head and signals that it wants to go. Lillie is surprised and happy about this, as her and her Pokémon walk into the woods together

We cut to Ash and Goh, who are currently ready to battle the Galarian form of Articuno

Ash sends out Dragonite, as Goh sends out Inteleon

Ash has Dragonite use Draco Meteor, while Inteleon uses Snipe Shot. However, Articuno sends both back with Hurricane. Articuno then fires a purple blast at Dragonite, freezing it in its tracks

"What was that??", Ash says. "It's like it was some kind of... Freezing Glare?", Goh says

Articuno then heads for Dragonite using Brave Bird, but Inteleon, Snipe Shots it on the head, causing it to loose balance and miss. Inteleon then jumps onto Articuno's back and lands a point blank water gun, damaging Articuno as it flies in the air rapidly. Eventually, Inteleon is shaken off, but before it falls into the ground it lands psychic. However, Articuno quickly breaks out of it and fires another Freezing Glare, but Inteleon counters this with a Whirlpool

Dragonite breaks out from being frozen, and Ash commands it to head into the air with dragon dance. Articuno uses blizzard, while Dragonite counters with Hurricane. The two moves collide, but in the end, Dragonite is overpowered and heavily damaged

"How are we supposed to beat this thing?", Goh exclaims, looking at Articuno flying above their damaged Pokémon

"I don't know", Ash says, "but we're not giving up, Lillie's counting on us!"

We then cut to Gladion and Peony, who have just followed Glastrier

"I think we're getting near!", Peony says

The two then arrive at what appears to be an old castle, frozen and left in ruin

"Do you think this was once the palace to the King of the Harvest?", Gladion asks

"If it is, he has a pretty bad idea of where to put it!", Peony says, "With any luck, our horse is cornered!"

The two decide to hop off of Zapdos and have it wait outside. They sneak into the castle, and they see Glastrier sleeping in the middle of the area

"We've got ya now!", Gladion whispers, as he pulls something out

Gladion pulls out a Pokéball, but not just any Pokéball. This one seems decorated in a yellow base, with sharp points painted blue on it

"What's that?", Peony asks

"It's a Quick Ball", Gladion replies, "a special kind of Pokéball created by the Aether Foundation, designed to catch a Pokémon as fast as possible. With any luck, this should be as simple as throwing and catching!"

Gladion then throws the Quick Ball. It lands, and it shakes a few times. However, Glastrier breaks out of it and gets furious at its intruders

"Like I said: with any luck!", Gladion says with a sigh in his voice, as he pulls out a Pokéball

Gladion sends out Lycanroc, while Peony sends out Copperajah. The battle begins

We then cut back to Lillie and her Pokémon, walking through the woods in search of the oasis of the radiant petal. She looks at Snowy, who's enjoying the snow quite immensely, giving her joy. She then looks at Absol, and wonders why Absol so suddenly wanted to come along with her

Absol seems wary, as if it senses something, something that shouldn't be near them

Before Lillie can ask it anything, however, they hear a loud noise. Absol runs into the direction of the noise, wishing to see what it is. Lillie and Snowy chase after it, not wanting her Pokémon to get injured by anyone

Absol stands on a ledge, and growls in the direction of the noise. When Lillie catches up, it sees a Tyrantrum pouncing about, as if it's out of control. Absol jumps into the scene, while Lillie tries to call it back

Absol stops it in its path with psycho cut, and roars at it. Tyrantrum attempts to hit it with Dragon Tail, but Absol dodges and hits it with Night Slash, knocking it to its knees. Tyrantrum then charges up a meteor beam. Absol attempts to land a night slash, but is knocked into a tree by its tail

Meteor Beam is about to fire, but Lillie had Snowy hit Tyrantrum with Powdered Snow, damaging it and throwing off its aim, sending the beam into the sky

"Don't hurt Absol!", Lillie says, as Snowy is ready to attack at any moment

"That's enough!", a mysterious voice appears, as Tyrantrum halts its attack

Lillie looks into the direction of the voice, and she sees a girl who seems to be her age. She appears to be wearing something of a business suit, and has mostly white hair with some dark pink in the back side

"What did we say about rampaging like that?", the girl asks, causing Tyrantrum to feel saddened

"It's ok ya big lug", the girl says, "just don't be causing anyone trouble like that, ok?"

Tyrantrum then gets enlightened by this, and blows at Lillie and her Pokémon as a form of apology

"I apologize for the trouble", the girl explains, "my Tyrantrum here can get really... hangry... sometimes."

"I can tell", Lillie replies, with a slight giggle, "hello, my name is Lillie. What's your name?"

"Name's Peonia", the girl replies, "it's a pleasure to meet ya, Lillie."

Peonia then looks at Absol, as it looks around

"So... what're you out here for?", Peonia asks

"I'm currently looking for something called 'the radiant petal'", Lillie replies, "it's the only way I'm going to get my father back..."

"Oh, I... see", Peonia replies, as she looks down a bit, "well if you want, I can help you find this 'radiant petal'"

"That'd be most appreciated!", Lillie says, as the two head back to searching for the oasis

The two girls walk through the forest, hoping to get closer to this oasis as they go. Lillie looks at Absol, it seems to be limping a bit, like it's still recovering from its battle with Tyrantrum

"Absol... are you ok?", Lillie asks

Absol looks away from her, making Lillie feel down

"You're just now asking that?", Peonia asks, grabbing Lillie's attention, "You didn't think to ask that the moment it got hurt?"

"I... I'm sorry, I just...", Lillie replies, before thinking more about it and realizing her mistake

"Lillie...", Peonia asks, "what's wrong? Maybe I can help."

Lillie thinks for a moment, and she ultimately decides to tell her about it

"I caught Absol in a pit stop at the Kalos region, where my brother was able to master mega evolution", Lillie explains, as she pulls out her key stone, "during that time, I was also offered the chance to master it as well..."

"But no matter what I do, Absol just doesn't seem interested in me at all", Lillie continues, "I just don't know what I'm doing wrong..."

Peonia looks at her for a moment, and then at Absol, who appeared to be looking at Lillie for a moment before turning away. Peonia takes note of this, and then turns back to Lillie

"You sure it's not interested?", Peonia asks, grabbing Lillie's attention

"I mean...", Lillie replies, "it definitely doesn't act interested."

"Lillie, let me tell ya something about Pokémon", Peonia tells her, "when you catch one in the wild, it's not going to just respect you right away, that's something you have to earn from it."

"And... how do I earn it?", Lillie asks

"Well, you keep talking about how much you want to find your father", Peonia replies, "but have you ever thought about what Absol might want out of its trainer?"

"What... Absol might want out of its trainer?", Lillie replies, as she looks at Absol, who stares her right back

"I mean, if I'm a Pokémon who's just been caught by someone I don't know... I'm gonna want them to at least be the right fit for me", Peonia continues, "my advice: get to know your Pokémon a little better and figure out what kind of trainer it wants you to be."

Lillie thinks for a moment, and then turns back to Absol. She leans down to it and pets its head

"Absol...", Lillie tells it, "I'm sorry if I've been inconsiderate lately. I want to get my father back very much..."

"But I also want to get to know you better, and I want to be the best trainer for you that I can!", Lillie continues, "I want for us to be able to work together and be a great team. If you give me a chance, I promise to be the best trainer for you that I can be!"

Absol stares at Lillie for a moment, but then it smiles and runs ahead. It gives a gentle roar, urging Lillie to follow it ahead

"Did... it work?", Lillie asks

"I think...", Peonia replies, "that it's a start."

The girls then run ahead in Absol's direction

We cut back to Ash and Goh, who are currently making their best efforts to battle Articuno

"What is it going to take to take this thing down???", Goh yells

Articuno uses Hurricane, sending both Dragonite and Inteleon flying back. Both Pokémon are struggling to get up

Ash thinks for a moment, but then has an idea that he whispers to Goh

"Are you sure this'll work?", Goh asks

"You got a better plan?", Ash asks in response, leaving Goh with no response and agreeing to the plan

"Inteleon, hop onto Dragonite's back!", Goh commands it. "Dragonite, fly up as high as you can!", Ash commands, as Inteleon hops onto Dragonite's back and Dragonite shoots itself into the sky

Articuno attempts to use blizzard at Dragonite's direction, but Ash has Dragonite fire a Draco Meteor into the air, causing meteors to fall. Articuno plays on the defensive, dodging the meteors as it goes, but before it knows it, Dragonite hits it with a Dragon Claw. Articuno attempts to fire another Freezing Glare, but Inteleon interrupts it last moment with Snipe Shot

"Inteleon, launch yourself at Articuno!", Goh commands, as Inteleon jumps off of Dragonite and heads for Articuno

Articuno uses Hurricane to send Inteleon back, but Ash has Dragonite counter it with its own Hurricane. As the two hurricanes collide, Inteleon glides through them and once it finds the right opening, it hits Articuno with Snipe Shot, causing its hurricane to collapse and for Dragonite's to send it into

Articuno heads at Inteleon with Brave Bird, but Inteleon dodges it and lands on its back. Inteleon then uses Water Gun on Articuno's face, disorienting it, while Ash has Dragonite fire another Draco Meteor. Inteleon eventually jumps off of Articuno, who then gets hit by the Draco Meteor. Dragonite charges head on into Articuno, tackling it in the air and sending it all the way to the ground, while Inteleon glides its way down gently

As the dust clears, Dragonite is seen floating above Articuno, who is visibly damaged and battered by the battle. Articuno attempts to deliver an intimidating squawk, but Dragonite roars right back at it

The two boys and Inteleon look at Articuno, and it decides to fly away, leaving one of its feathers behind as it goes

"Aaaaaand that's feather number 3!", Goh exclaims, as he catches Articuno's feather

"Now let's go help Gladion!", Ash says, as the two head in the direction Zapdos had went in previous

We cut to Peony and Gladion's battle with Glastrier. It is much stronger than they had anticipated

"It's much more powerful than the last time I battled it...", Gladion remarked

"I guess a Pokémon is more powerful when it's mad than when it's getting jumped!", Peony replies

Glastrier charges at Cooperajah with High Horsepower, but Gladion has Lycanroc intercept it and hit it with Counter, causing major damage to it

"Wow, that's one heck of a good counter!", Peony says

"Thanks. It took a lot of training for us to master that one!", Gladion replies, "Speaking of..."

Glastrier fires off an Icicle Crash. Gladion and Lycanroc nod at each other, while Peony has Copperajah use Iron Defense

"Lycanroc", Gladion commands, "use Outrage!"

Lycanroc's eyes glow a vicious red, as it roars in the air and charges into the icicle crash head on. It breaks most of the icicles that come by it, and it wills through the ones that hit it. Eventually, it finds itself face to face with Glastrier

Glastrier tries to hit it with High Horsepower, but Lycanroc slides under it and hits it repeatedly. Lycanroc charges at Glastrier again, but Glastrier sends it flying with High Horsepower, heavily damaging Lycanroc. Glastrier charges at Lycanroc with another High Horsepower, but Copperajah hits it on the side with Flash Cannon

"Thanks for the assist", Gladion says

"Any time!", Peony replies, "Now Copperajah, use Heavy Slam!"

Copperajah jumps at Glastrier and uses Heavy Slam. Glastrier dodges this and charges back at it with High Horsepower. Copperajah uses Iron Defense, weakening the attack but still taking big damage

Lycanroc and Copperajah use Stone Edge and Flash Cannon respectively. Glastrier attempts to counter it with icicle crash, but the attacks ultimately overpower it and connect, sending Glastrier back. Glastrier begins to run away, but Gladion has Lycanroc trap it with Stone Edge

"No where left to run!", Gladion exclaims

"You can say that again!", Peony says in response

Glastrier, now enraged, charges right at the direction of Lycanroc and Copperajah. Lycanroc and Copperajah fire a stone edge and flash cannon, but Glastrier dodges right past them, jumps into the air, and shakes the ground with its landing, causing everyone save for Copperajah to stumble as it heads for the gate

"No!!!", Gladion exclaims

Just before Glastrier can escape, however, it is met with an Aura Sphere and a Pyro Ball to the face. Much to Gladion and Peony's surprise, Ash and Goh have arrived!

"Ash! Goh!", Gladion says, "Did you get done with Articuno?"

"You know it!", Goh replies, "Now let's take Glastrier down!"

Everyone nods in agreement, as Glastrier readies for another attack, and Ash decides to pull out his Mega Evolution Glove for Lucario

"Lucario", Ash says, while getting ready to mega evolve his Lucario, surprising both Peony and Gladion, "let's give it everything we've got!"

As Lucario gets embodied in light, it mega evolves and charges at Glastrier

We cut back to Lillie and Peonia, who continue to follow Absol through the woods

"What is Absol doing, exactly?", Peonia asks, while she is still catching her breath

"I think...", Lillie replies, while also catching her breath, "I think it's scouting!"

"Are you even sure it knows what we're looking for?", Peonia asks

"If Absol thinks following it will lead us to the Radiant Petal, then I trust it!", Lillie replies, as she continues to head in Absol's direction

They walk for a moment more, until they find themselves at a body of water. It's the oasis, at last! The warm body of water emits steam and wild Pokémon are resting around it. In the middle of the body of water, they see a little island with a set of flowers on it

"I think... I think this is it!", Lillie says, "Great job Absol!"

Absol looks at her and nods. Lillie begins to pet it, but Absol is slightly hesitant to let her touch it. Absol then senses something, and it runs off looking for what's been tailing then

Lillie is a little worried by this, but Peonia tells her "You're getting there!", causing Lillie to get her spirits back up

"How do we get across?", Lillie asks herself, before seeing stones in the water that seemingly lead to the island, "There we go!"

Lillie hops on the stones, making her way to the little island. She finds her way there, and she begins to collect the Radiant Petal. However, the ground from underneath her breaks, startling her and everyone else around her. As she looked back up, she found herself face to face with a giant Abomasnow

"Abomasnow!!!", the Abomasnow roared, with the Radiant Petal placed on top of its head

"It's an Abomasnow!", Peonia says, "They say that when you attempt to steal something it likes, it-"

Before Peonia could even finish though, Abomasnow roars and sends Lillie back across the oasis and into the snow

"It... does this.", Lillie finishes, "Well we're not leaving without that petal!"

Abomasnow roars, as it sends out a hail storm with its ability

"Snowy, use Aurora Veil!", Lillie commands, as Snowy puts up an Aurora Veil

Abomasnow uses Blizzard. Lillie is about to command a powder snow, but Peonia sends out a Luxray and has it use discharge, countering much of the blizzard. Luxray then charges at Abomasnow with Wild Charge. Abomasnow attempts to attack it with Wood Hammer, but Luxray jumps on top of it and lands behind it. Luxray then hits Abomasnow with Fire Fang, causing it to cry out in pain as it sends Luxray into the water

"Luxray!", Peonia yells in worry

Lillie, now even more upset with Abomasnow, has Snowy use powder snow on Abomasnow, doing minimal damage. Abomasnow attempts to hit Snowy with Icy Wind, but Snowy dodges it thanks to its ability. Snowy then uses Iron Tail, a move it picked up during Lillie's journey, doing noticeable damage

However, Abomasnow uses this opportunity to hit Snowy with a point blank Energy Ball, sending it flying back. Lillie catches Snowy, and sees that it's injured but still ready for battle. However, Abomasnow prepares to send a