"A surprise discovery turned our heroes' lives upside down, until their mothers arrived and helped put it back in perspective. Now, a new tournament, where anyone can enter, is set to begin. But not everyone is ready for the Galarian Star Tournament."
"A Friendship Free For All"
In Wyndon, at the top office of Rose Tower, Chairman Rose is standing behind his desk, when he slams his fist against the desk.
"C'mon, Leon, this whole Galarian Star Tournament is another waste of time," Rose says.
Leon, standing a couple feet in front of the desk, slowly shakes his head, "The Tournament will help boost morale after the destruction of the Stow-on-Side mural, and the discovery behind it. It will raise spirits and help to bring people and Pokémon together."
Rose sighs, "It's as bad as the Galar League." He looks straight ahead. "It's all a distraction from the energy crisis."
"The Galar League is an honored tradition that went back generations," Leon starts. "And the energy crisis you so worried about is still decades away. We can't worry on something that might or might not happen, we need to focus on the here and now."
At that moment, Oleana enters the office, with Leon turning to see her coming before looking back ahead.
"I need to go and help to finish with preparations," Leon says. "I'll see you around, Chairman."
Leon turns to leave, with Oleana watching him for a moment, before seeing Rose seating back down.
"Shortsided foolishness," Rose whispers, upon the door closing behind Leon.
"Chairman," Oleana says, with Rose looking up to her. "I have uploaded the recent energy output to your Rotom Phone."
Rose holds up his Rotom Phone, looking at the screen and starting to smile, "It's promising."
"Indeed, and we are still going through the surplus of wishing stars that Bede collected for us," Oleana adds.
Rose's smile disappears, "Yeah…"
Bede is seated at the edge of the bed in a darkened inn room, watching Leon's announcement about the Galarian Star Tournament on his Rotom Phone.
A Corviknight Taxi lands in Motostoke, "Knigh!"
Victor and Gloria exit the taxi cab.
"And we're back in Motostoke," Gloria announces.
"I still don't believe how fast the Corviknight Taxi is," Victor says.
As the two Trainers walk away, the Silicobra lets go of the back of the taxi cab, as it falls onto the ground, with its eyes whirling, "Sili…"
"Victor! Gloria!"
Victor and Gloria turn to see Hop running up to them, waving his hand.
"Hey, Hop, should know you waste no time to get here," Gloria says.
"Yeah, I was so excited about this tournament that I jumped aboard the closet Corviknight Taxi," Hop rubs the top of his head.
"So you already signed up for the tournament?" Victor asks.
"Actually no," Hop says. "You must sign up with a partner, they don't assign partners."
"Make sense," Gloria starts. "It is better to choose someone as your partner then have your partner choose for you."
Victor nods his head, "So, what's we gonna do?"
"Well, I have an idea," Hop grins.
Victor and Gloria look at each other, before facing Hop again.
On a nearby battlefield, the three Trainers stand a couple feet apart from each other.
Hop spreads his arms, "We have a battle!" He holds up one finger, "A free-for-all, and the last two standing will be partners."
"Sound good," Victor says.
"I'm game," Gloria adds.
"Alright, let's choose our Pokémon," Hop says, with Victor and Gloria nod their heads.
"I choose Scorbunny!" Victor throws a Poké Ball, which opens.
"Scor!"
"I choose Sobble!" Gloria throws a Poké Ball, which opens.
"Sobbl!"
"And I choose…" Hop throws a Poké Ball, which opens. "Thwackey!"
"Thwa!"
"Scor?" Scorbunny notices Thwackey.
"Whoa, your Grookey evolved," Victor says.
"That's great, Hop," Gloria adds.
"Thanks, it took a lot of hard work, but it was worth it," Hop says.
"Thwa," Thwackey proudly says.
"Sobbl," Sobble says, before it looks over to Scorbunny, who looks upset. Sobble tilts its head, "Sobbl?"
Hop takes a step back, "Alright, let's get this battle started."
"Right, Scorbunny gets close to Thwackey and uses Ember!" Victor instructs.
"Scor!" Scorbunny runs ahead, before starting shooting a series of small fireballs from its mouth.
"Thwackey, dodge and fire Razor Leaf at Sobble!" Hop instructs.
"Thwa!" Thwackey jumps to the side, dodging the fireballs, as it pulls out its sticks and swings them forward, shooting sharp leaves from its head.
"Both Victor and Hop are banking on having the type advantage, so in that case…" Gloria realizes, before holding out a hand. "Sobble, use Pound on the ground!"
"Sobbl!" Sobble slams its hands on the ground, propelling itself up as the sharp leaves fly under it.
"Now, use Water Pulse on both of them!" Gloria instructs.
"Sobbl!" Sobble waves its hands together, before pushing them ahead, shooting a pulsing blast of water, blasting both Pokémon.
"Scor!"
"Thaw!"
"Scorbunny!" Victor says, before looking up at Sobble, still midair. "We need to take out Sobble before it could use its Type to its advantage." Victor swings a hand to the side. "Scorbunny, use Double Kick on Sobble!"
"Scor!" Scorbunny runs toward Thwackey.
"Scorbunny? Wait, what're you doing?" Victor looks over to his Pokémon.
"What a fight? Okay, Thwackey, use Double Hit!" Hop calls out.
"Thwa!" Thwackey jumps up.
"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps up.
Scorbunny spins around and kicks, as Thwackey brings down one stick, colliding with Scorbunny's foot, before Scorbunny spins again and kicks, hitting Thwackey's other stick as it strikes with it. Both Pokémon land on the ground.
"Here's our chance, Sobble, use Water Pulse again!"
"Sobbl!" Sobble, on the ground, waves around its hands before shooting a pulsing blast of water.
"Scorbunny, quick, jump out of the way!" Victor calls out.
"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps to the side, as the pulsing blast of water hits Thwackey.
"Thwa!" Thwackey is knocked back across the battlefield.
"Thwackey!" Hop calls out.
"Scor," Scorbunny lands in front of Victor.
"Scorbunny, hold on," Victor holds out a hand. "I think I understand how you feel."
Scorbunny looks over to its Trainer.
"You saw Thwackey as your rival and wanted to beat it, especially after our last battle against them," Victor says.
"Scor…" Scorbunny looks down slightly.
"But we can't forget about Sobble, or we will lose this battle," Victor continues. "So, let's battle together, like we always have."
"Scor…" Scorbunny looks up at its Trainer, and nods its head. "Scor."
Victor smiles and nods his head.
"Pound!"
"Double Hit!"
Victor looks up to see Sobble slamming its hand against one of Thwackey's sticks, as their attacks collide.
"We could just let Sobble and Thwackey wear each other down, but it might take awhile, besides that not how Scorbunny and I battle, so…" Victor thinks, before his eyes widen. "That's it!" He then holds out a hand, "Scorbunny, use Double Kick on both of them!"
"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps before spinning around, kicking Sobble in the side.
"Sobbl!"
Scorbunny then kicks Thwackey against its arm.
"Thwa!"
Sobble and Thwackey are forced away, with Scorbunny landing in the middle.
"If that's what you want, then Sobble, use Water Pulse!" Gloria calls out.
"Sobbl!" Sobble waves around its hands, before shooting a pulsing blast of water.
"Wait for it, wait for it…" Victor says, as the pulsing blast of water gets closer to Scorbunny. "Now, jump!"
"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps up, as the pulsing blast of water shoots under it and hits Thwackey.
"Thwa!"
"Thwackey!" Hop calls out. "You might be fast, but Thwackey is stronger. Charge up Solar Beam!"
"Thwa!" Thwackey slams its sticks on the ground before holding them up, as energy charges between them.
"Okay, Scorbunny, use Double Kick against Sobble!" Victor instructs.
"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps down at Sobble, kicking at it, with Sobble jumps back to avoid it.
"Sobble, dodge Scorbunny's attack!" Gloria calls out.
"Sobbl!" Sobble jumps and leans back repeatedly to dodge each and everyone of Scorbunny's attempted kicks.
"That's it, Scorbunny, keep it up," Victor says.
"What is Victor up to? It's only a matter of time until Thwackey's Solar Beam will be ready…" Gloria thinks.
The energy finishes gathering at Thwackey's sticks, "Thwa!"
"Alright, Thwackey, unleash that Solar Beam!" Hop calls out.
"Wait a minute!" Gloria realizes, as she remembers Scorbunny jumping out of the way of Sobble's pulsing blast of water and Thwackey gets hit.
"Thwa!" Thwackey brings down its stick, firing a massive blast.
"Scorbunny, now!" Victor calls out.
"Sobble, jump out of the way, hurry!" Gloria instructs.
"Scor!"
"Sobbl!"
Both Scorbunny and Sobble jump out of the way of the massive blast, as Sobble just barely dodges it.
"This is our chance, Scorbunny, Ember!" Victor calls out.
"Scor!" Scorbunny turns in midair and fires a series of small fireballs.
The fireballs hit Thwackey, who tries and fails to block with its sticks, "Thwa!"
"Now, Double Kick!" Victor calls out.
"Scor!" Scorbunny comes down at Thwackey, kicks it, spins around and then kicks it again, sending Thwackey flying.
"Thwa…" Thwackey lands on the ground, with its eyes whirling.
"Alright, we won!" Victor jumps up.
"Scor!" Scorbunny mimicking its Trainer.
"I guess it means, we'll be working as a team," Gloria picks up Sobble and smiles.
"Sobbl," Sobble smiles.
Gloria picks up Thwackey, "You did great, Thwackey."
"Thwa," Thwackey smiles.
"I'm sorry about this Hop," Gloria says, as she holds Sobble, while she and Victor, who has Scorbunny on his shoulder, approaches him.
"It's fine, I'm certain I will find someone to team up with," Hop says.
Victor smiles with his eyes closed, "I'm confident you will, and I look forward to meeting you in the tournament."
"Hum, Victor, Hop's already gone," Gloria says, as Victor opens his eyes.
They then look further ahead to see Hop going from people to people, "Hey, are you gonna enter the Galarian Star Tournament? Need a partner for the tournament? You look like a tough Trainer. What about you?"
Victor and Gloria sigh, as Scorbunny and Sobble tilt their heads.
Later on, in the Budew Drop Inn, Victor and Gloria are walking down the hallway to their rooms.
"I don't believe how busy the day has been," Gloria says. "But we are finally registered."
"Yeah, and the tournament will begin first thing today, so let's get a lot of sleep," Victor says.
"Right," Gloria says, as she walks past Victor and comes to a stop at her room's door. "Victor…"
Victor opens his room's door and looks at his friend, "Yeah?"
Gloria looks over to him, "Hop is a good friend, but in all honesty, I'm glad you and I will team up together. And I actually wanted to partner with you from the start, especially after the Multi Battle against our moms."
"Me too," Victor smiles. "And I look forward to the tournament tomorrow."
"Till tomorrow," Gloria smiles.
"A friendly battle between friends has decided Victor and Gloria will enter as a team in the Galarian Star Tournament. But will they be able to work together against some stiff competition?"
"Find out, as the journey continues…"