"Our heroes had made it to Circhester, where Victor won his sixth Gym Badge and had a run-in with some troublemakers. Now, they're onward to Spikemuth…"

"Gulp, Cramorant"

Victor and Gloria are walking through Route 9.

Gloria hugs herself, "I'm so glad we got these new clothes for the colder weather."

Victor smiles, "Then all your complaining about the cold paid off."

"I didn't complain that much…" Gloria comments, when her stomach growls and she blushes. "Although I wished we grabbed a meal before leaving." She then stops hugging herself. "Oh, I almost forgot."

Gloria starts to dig into her bag.

"What is that?" Victor asks.

Gloria pulls out a piece of bread, "I can snack on this until lunch."

"There you go," Victor smiles, with a sweat drop.

Gloria holds up the bread and opens her mouth, when suddenly, a Cramorant flies past her, grabbing the bread out of her hand, with Gloria closing her mouth onto empty air.

"What?!" Gloria looks over to see Cramorant had landed on a tree branch, with the bread sticking out of its mouth.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Victor asks.

Victor's Rotom Phone flies up, "Cramorant, the Gulp Pokémon, It's so strong that it can knock out some opponents in a single hit, but it also may forget what it's battling midflight."

"Cram," Cramorant swallows the bread. "Rant."

"And it's a food theft," Gloria says. "Hey, Cramorant, that was my snack!"

"Cram, rant!" Cramorant calls out.

Suddenly, a red beam shoots out of Gloria's bag and forms Sirfetch'd, "Sir, fetch!"

"Sirfetch'd?" Gloria responds.

"Sir, fetch," Sirfetch'd looks over to Gloria, seeing its Trainer as a teary eyed princess. It then looks over to Cramorant, and starts to swing its leek. "Sir, Fetch! Sir, Fetch!"

"Sirfetch'd is challenging Cramorant," Victor realizes.

"Alright, then, Sirfetch'd, Fury Cutter!" Gloria holds out an arm.

"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd jumps ahead and swings its leek.

"Cram, rant!" Cramorant flies off the tree branch.

"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd spins in midair and jumps off the tree, swinging its leek.

Cramorant flies to the side, dodging a leek swing, then flies around Sirfetch'd, dodging another leek swing, before flies to the side, dodging one more leek swing.

"Cram," Cramorant spins around, before flying ahead and drills around. "Rant."

"Sir, fetch!" Sirfetch'd tries to stop the drilling Cramorant with its leek, but is knocked back.

"Wow, it's fast," Victor says.

"Sirfetch'd, counter with Rock Smash!" Gloria instructs.

"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd lands, raises its leek and charges ahead.

"Cram, rant!" Cramorant flies ahead, before randomly and rapidly hits Sirfetch'd three times, knocking Sirfetch'd far back.

"That must be Thrash," Victor realizes, as Gloria hurries past him.

"Sirfetch'd, are you okay?" Gloria asks, as Sirfetch'd pushes itself up.

"Sir…" Sirfetch'd looks ahead, before looking surprised. "Fetch?!"

Gloria looks ahead to see Cramorant flying away, "Cram, rant."

"Is it done… or did Cramorant just forget it was battling?" Victor wonders.

Gloria sighs, "Let's just move on."

Later, Gloria, Drizzile, Orbeetle, Sirfetch'd, and Impidimp are sitting next to a river, with Silicobra, Toxtricity, and Corviknight.

"Okay, let's try this," Victor holds up a hand, before holding out an arm. "Pikachu, Electro Ball! Raboot, Double Kick!"

"Pika Chu!" Pikachu swings its tail, launching a ball of electricity.

"Ra-boot!" Raboot jumps, kicks the ball of electricity, spins around and kicks it again, sending the ball of electricity flying into the sky, before dispersing.

"Alright, good job, guys!" Victor calls out, as Raboot lands.

"Ra-boot!" Raboot looks over to its Trainer, as Pikachu walks over.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu happily says.

"Okay, now…" Victor looks at his Pokémon. "How about Silicobra and Toxtricity get in some training."

"Sili," Silicobra nods its head slightly.

"Toxt Icit," Toxtricity slowly strums its chest, looking to the side.

"Toxtricity?" Victor starts to take a step forward.

Pikachu looks to the side to see Cramorant digging into Victor's backpack on the ground, "Pika Pika!"

Victor turns to see Cramorant, "Hey!"

"Ra-boot!" Raboot runs over to the Cramorant, who brings its head out of the backpack. "Ra-boot!"

Raboot kicks at Cramorant, who flaps its wings to dodge backward, before shooting a blast of water from its mouth, knocking Raboot back.

"Ra-boot!" Raboot slams against a large rock.

"Raboot!" Victor calls out.

Cramorant brings its head out of the backpack, holding a package of Moomoo Cheese, before swallowing it, "Cram, rant."

"Here we go again," Gloria starts to get up, before Sirfetch'd runs ahead and she holds out a hand. "Sirfetch'd, wait!"

"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd swings its leek, with Cramorant flies away, dodging the attack.

"Pika Pi Pika!" Pikachu runs at a breakneck pace, before jumping up. "Chu!"

"Cram," Cramorant opens its mouth.

Then suddenly, Pikachu gets stuck in Cramorant's mouth, with everyone looking up at them, confused.

After a few seconds, Pikachu starts to wiggle randomly in Cramorant's mouth, "Pika Pika Pika Pika!"

Cramorant shoots a blast of water, launching Pikachu out of its mouth and slams it against Sirfetch'd, with both Pokémon landing hard on the ground.

"Pika…"

"Sir… Fetch…"

"Pikachu…" Victor looks at them, before looking back at Cramorant.

"Cram… rant…" Cramorant is breathing heavily.

"I think Pikachu damaged Cramorant," Victor holds up a Poké Ball. "This might be my chance. Go, Poké Ball!"

Victor throws the Poké Ball, which Cramorant catches in its mouth.

"Huh…?" Victor watches, with a sweatdrop.

Cramorant shoots a blast of water, launching the Poké Ball out of its mouth. Victor barely dodges out of the way, as the Poké Ball is slammed into a large rock.

"That was different…" Victor says.

"Cram, rant," Cramorant flies to the side, starting to go after Gloria's bag.

Gloria seats up Sirfetch'd, before looking to the side, "Is there no stopping it?"

"Or, beet," Orbeetle flies to in front of the bag, creating a yellow screen to block Cramorant.

Cramorant starts to fly around, when Drizzile jumps toward it and slams a hand at it, but Cramorant flies around, dodging the attack.

"There's got to be a way to slow it down," Victor wonders, before noticing Toxtricity, who is watching while slowly strumming its chest. "That might work." He takes a step forward, "Toxtricity, use Acid to get Cramorant back off."

"Toxt Icit," Toxtricity looks over to its Trainer, strums its chest, and then jumps up, before shooting a glob of acid from its mouth.

"Cram," Cramorant flies away from the backpack, Orbeetle, and Drizzile, as a glob of acid hits the ground.

"Now, Spark!" Victor instructs.

"Toxt Icit," Toxtricity strums its chest, starts shooting blasts of electricity, which Cramorant flies around to dodge, before getting close to the ground.

"Acid!" Victor instructs.

"Toxt Icit," Toxtricity strums and shoots a glob of acid from its mouth.

"Cram," Cramorant gets close to the ground, before quickly flies up, barely dodging the glob of acid. "Rant!"

"Hurry, Spark, again!" Victor instructs, as Gloria walks over.

"What are you doing?" Gloria asks.

"I'm trying to limit Cramorant's movements until we get an opening," Victor explains.

"Toxt Icit!" Toxtricity strums its chest, shooting blasts of electricity.

"Cram, rant!" Cramorant flies side to side, barely dodging the blasts of electricity.

"Here's our chance, use Flail!" Victor instructs.

"Toxt Icit" Toxtricity jumps ahead, strums its chest, before slamming an arm against Cramorant, knocking it out of the sky.

"Cram, rant!" Cramorant slams hard on the ground.

"Maybe now I can catch it," Victor holds up a Poké Ball.

"Unfortunately you can't."

Victor and Gloria turn to see a fisherwoman is arriving.

"I-I can't?" Victor asks.

"Yeah, you see, my name is Harriet, and this Cramorant is mine," she explains.

"This is your Cramorant?" Gloria asks.

"Yes, but it could really get out of hand when it gets hungry," Harriet says.

"That might be an understatement," Gloria whispers.

"Cram," Cramorant stands up, before starting to walk over to Gloria's backpack. "Rant."

"Oh, I think you had enough," Harriet holds out a Poké Ball, which shoots out a red beam.

Cramorant takes flight, dodging the red beam, before flying to the side, dodging another red beam.

"So that's how you want to do this, huh?" Harriet says, before she throws a Poké Ball. "Go, Arrokuda!"

"Arro!" Arrokuda forms from red energy, as it is launched through the air.

"Cram," Cramorant turns, before suddenly, Arrokuda gets stuck in Cramorant's mouth, with Cramorant sweat drops.

"Here we go again…" Victor says.

"Don't worry, this happens all the time," Harriet smiles.

"That doesn't make it any better," Gloria responds.

Cramorant shoots a blast of water, launching Arrokuda out of its mouth and into the river.

"Arro," Arrokuda emerges at the water surface, before it glows and grows larger, before it stops glowing. "Skewda!"

"It evolved," Victor realizes.

Victor's Rotom Phone flies up, "Barraskewda, the Skewer Pokémon, It spins its tail fins to propel itself, surging forward at speeds of over 100 knots before ramming prey and spearing into them."

Victor holds down his Rotom Phone, "It sounds fast."

"Not only does it sound fast," Harriet says, with a smile. "Barraskewda, Agility, then Aqua Jet!"

"Skewda!" Barraskewda swims through the water, getting faster, before it lowers under the water surface, then suddenly launches out of the water, surrounded by water. "Skewda!"

"Cram, rant," Cramorant shoots a blast of water from its mouth.

"Skewda!" Barraskewda, still surrounded by water, continues to launch through the blast of water and slams against Cramorant.

Barraskewda then continues to fly through the air, surrounded by water, and flies down, slamming into Cramorant's back, knocking it onto the ground, bouncing off and back into the river, with the water dispersing.

"Cram… rant…" Cramorant tries to get up.

"Calm down, have you?" Harriet says, before smiling as she holds up a Poké Ball. "Cool. Lunch's in an hour. So behave.

"Cram," Cramorant nods its head, as it turns into red energy and flies into the Poké Ball.

"That's incredible," Victor approaches Harriet. "Your skill as a Trainer, and Barraskewda's strength, after just evolving."

"Thanks, but you helped a lot by slowing down Cramorant," Harriet says. "Besides, I still have a lot of improving to do, or otherwise Cramorant will not get so out of control."

"Still, it was incredible, wasn't it…" Victor turns to Toxtricity, who is looking down, slowly strumming its chest. "Toxtricity?"

"Anyway," Harriet lowers her Poké Ball. "I'm sorry for all the trouble Cramorant caused. Allow me to replace the food it had eaten."

"Oh, that's not necessary," Gloria holds up a hand. "Isn't it, Victor." Gloria looks over to Victor, who seems to be lost in thought. "Victor?"

"Huh," Victor turns and smiles. "Oh, right, right."

Gloria tilts her head slightly.

Shortly later, Victor and Gloria are waving at Harriet, who is walking away from them.

"Take care, you both," Harriet says.

"You too," Gloria says, before she and Victor turn and start to walk away. "So, Victor, what's on your mind?"

"Oh, nothing," Victor quickly claims.

"Really, because earlier you seemed lost in thought," Gloria says.

"I was just thinking about my next Gym Battle," Victor says.

"Is that really just it?" Gloria thinks, watching her friend.

Victor and Gloria continue onward.

"An encounter with a difficult to control Cramorant reminded our heroes of the different relationship between Trainers and Pokémon, as they continue to grow and get stronger. What could be next for our heroes?"

Continuing on the route, Gloria looks over to Victor.

"Hum, Victor…" Gloria starts, when she looks ahead.

"What in the…?" Victor says, as he and Gloria come to a stop at a large bay, with no way to cross the water.

Victor and Gloria look ahead.

"So…" Victor starts. "Now what?"

"Find out, as the journey continues…"