"A trip into the Slumbering Weald and a conflict with a Wooloo was just the start of Victor, Gloria, and Hop's lives as Pokémon Trainers. Now with Dynamax Bands in hands, and League endorsements for Victor and Hop, what could come next for our young heroes…?"
"Train of Thought Derailment"
"Char!" Charizard roars, spreading its wings, while outside the Wedgehurst Train Station.
"It's soooo cool!" three women say in unison, while lending close to Charizard.
"And so powerful!" a man flexes his arm.
"Char!" Charizard smiles.
"You're such a showoff, Charizard," Leon smiles, causing Charizard to look at its Trainer.
"Like you're one to talk."
Leon turns to see approaching him is Sonia, Yamper, Vicki, Glory, and Castera, "Hey, Sonia, what can I say, people keep on asking to see my partner. Besides, Charizard loves the attention."
Sonia crosses her arms, "I'm sure he's not the only one."
"Yamp! Yamp!"
"Char, Char," Charizard laughs.
"Anyway," Leon places a hand on Charizard's shoulder. "I thought you were walking the kids to the Train Station."
"They fell behind becauses Vicki overpacked her son's backpack," Glory explains.
Vicki holds a finger to her chin, "I don't think I packed it that much."
Further behind the group, comes Victor, wearing a large, stuffed backpack, with him lending backward and having trouble walking, as Gloria and Hop are pushing him from behind.
Shortly later, Victor drops his smaller backpack onto the ground, as Leon stands behind him, arms crossed.
"There, all the young and upcoming Trainer needs: Poké Balls, Potions, collapsible tent…" Leon says.
"Although maybe you should still bring 890 change of clothes," Vicki suggests.
"There aren't that many days in a year," Glory comments, with a sweat drop.
"He'll be fine, they all will," Leon says, as Victor puts his backpack on.
"Thanks, Mr. Leon," Victor says.
"I told you, Victor, just call me Leon."
"Char, Char."
"Wow, it's really your partner," Victor holds out his Rotom Phone.
"Charizard, the Flame Pokémon, its wings can carry this Pokémon close to an altitude of 4,600 feet. It blows out fire at very high temperatures," the Rotom Phone explains.
"Yeah, Leon trained this guy since it was a Charmander," Hop adds, patting Charizard on the shoulder. "Of course, it will be no match for me and my Pokémon."
"Char," Charizard breathes a small fireball past Hop, surprising him.
"Although, we still got a long way to go," Hop blushes.
"Char," Charizard smiles, as everyone laughs, except for Gloria.
Gloria approaches the Champion, "Hum, Leon, can I speak with you for a moment?"
Glory finishes laughing when she notices Gloria and Leon walking over to the side.
"Leon, I was wondering…" Gloria starts, as Leon watches with his hands on his hips. "Why… why didn't you give me an endorsement too?"
"You wanted an endorsement too?" Leon asks.
"Yesterday, you said you were impressed by all three of us, but you didn't give me an endorsement," Gloria says. "So I was wondering…" She looks away, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine, Gloria, it really is," Leon rubs the back of his head. "And I do have a reason as to why I didn't give you an endorsement."
Gloria looks up at him.
Leon sighs, "But what you need to worry about is, what do you really want."
"I-I don't understand…" Gloria starts.
Glory walks over to the two, "The train gets ready to leave, you should hurry and get on."
"Oh, hum," Gloria looks to Leon, then back to her mom. "Right, mom."
Gloria tugs on her backpack's straps and walks pass them, with Glory and Leon watching her.
Leon sighs, "If only we can tell her why she hadn't been given an endorsement."
"Trust me, I know, but I'm afraid this is something Gloria has to figure out on her own," Glory says.
Victor, Hop, and Gloria start to walk through the turnstile toward the train, as Vicki calls out, "Remember Victor, brush your teeth everyday! And always clean any berries you picked before eating it! And always say 'please' and 'thank you'! And wash your clothes thoroughly!"
Victor sighs, and Hops laughs a bit, as the three friends walk onto the train.
Tears are rolling down Vicki's cheeks, "They grew up so fast! It seems like it was only a week ago when he was nine…!"
"It was a week ago when he was nine," Castera comments.
The train whistles blow, as it starts to depart.
Hop sits down in his chair in front of a large table, "This is so awesome!" He looks over to Victor, seated next to him, "So, Victor, does Kanto have any trains?"
"Well, there's the Magnet Train, but I never rode it," Victor comments.
"Then this is your first time on a train too," Hop says, then looks to Gloria, seating across from Victor. "And this is your first time too, Gloria, right?" But Gloria isn't looking up. "Right, Gloria?"
"Huh?" Gloria looks up at her two friends. "Oh, hum, right, right…"
"Everything's okay?" Victor asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just fine," Gloria claims.
Hop then notices a train conductor starting to walk past them, "Hey, Mr. Conductor, would it be okay if we let our Pokémon out?"
"It would be fine," the conductor says, as he holds up one finger. "But only small ones." He turns back to start to walk away, "I still don't believe the Champion let out his Charizard."
Hop holds out two Poké Balls, "Well, I guess I shouldn't let out Wooloo." Hop returns one Poké Ball to his back pocket, then holds out the other one slightly, which opens and shoots out red energy, which forms Grookey.
"Key! Key!" Grookey removes its stick and bangs it on the table.
Victor holds out a Poké Ball, which opens and shoots out red energy, forming Scorbunny.
"Scor! Scor!" Scorbunny hops up and down, happily.
Gloria holds out a Poké Ball, opening it and shooting out red energy, forming Sobble.
"Sobbl…" Sobble looks at Gloria, who seems to be in deep thought.
Sobble then notices Grookey and Scorbunny are looking out a nearby window, with Sobble joining them, as they see the scenery running past them.
"So the train will take us straight to Motostoke?" Victor asks.
"No, this train is taking us to Meetup Spot, Leon thinks it will do us good if we travel through the Wild Area," Hop explains.
"What's the Wild Area?" Victor asks.
"Oh, the Wild Area is an expansive area, full of all different kinds of Pokémon, some of which are really powerful," Hop answers. "It could be so…"
"Awesome?" Victor finishes.
"Exactly!" Hop responds, before jumping out of his seat, standing next to the table. "But before that, why don't we explore the train? It's supposed to have a delicious food car."
"Key! Key!" Grookey runs over to the edge of the table.
"Grookey's in," Hop says. "About you guys?"
"I think I'll pass," Gloria says, as Sobble walks over to her.
"Sobbl."
"Scor?" Scorbunny walks over to Victor, who gently pets it.
"We'll catch up," Victor says.
Hop shrugs his shoulders, "Okay, later, then." Hop turns slightly. "Let's go, Grookey."
"Key!" Grookey jumps off the table and walks with Hop.
Victor looks over to Gloria, with Scorbunny following his glance, "Gloria, is there something you want to talk about?"
"Scor?"
"I'm fine, Victor, I just… have a lot on my mind right now," Gloria explains, before looking down. "Like what Leon meant by 'what I really want'."
"Sobbl?" Sobble tilts its head.
Victor reaches into his pocket, pulling out his endorsement, before putting it back and looking at his friend, "Gloria… I have always wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer, since I was a little kid, competing in a League competition is a dream come true…"
"That's nice, Victor…" Gloria responds, while looking down at the table.
"So… what's your dream?" Victor asks.
Gloria immediately looks back up, "My what?"
"Your dream, your goal, what do you want to do or accomplish?" Victor asks.
"I-I… I never thought about it," Gloria tells him. "I just want…"
"Yeah?" Victor asks, as both Pokémon look at her.
"Scor?"
"Sobbl?"
"I want…" Gloria looks back down.
"So horrible…" a woman interrupts, causing Victor, Gloria, and their Pokémon look at the table across from theirs to see a married couple talking with the wife holding her Rotom Phone. "Did you see this? A group of poachers attack a part of the Wild Area home to a bunch of Bug Type Pokémon, planning on selling them on the black market."
"Yeah, I read that, but the police busted them," the husband says.
"But according to this article, some of the Pokémon's homes were destroyed and they fled," the wife adds, as she holds her Rotom Phone to her husband's face. "Those poor homeless dears."
"That is horrible…" Gloria whispers.
All of a sudden, the train jerks to a stop, with Scorbunny falling onto the seat next to Victor and Sobble tumbles over.
"Sobbl!" Sobble jumps into Gloria's arms.
"It's okay, Sobble," Gloria says before she looks to Victor who is helping Scorbunny to stand upright. "Why did the train just stop?"
"Are we at the Meetup Spot?" Victor asks.
Gloria looks out the window, "No, it looks like we're still miles away from the train station."
In the train's engine car, the engineer removes a panel from beneath the controls to see a combination of gears and poles, several damaged, and couple loose.
"So what the damage?" the conductor asks behind him.
"Not too extensive," the engineer looks closely. "I should be able to repair and replace everything here shortly."
The conductor holds up his Rotom Phone, looking at its screen, "Hopefully, we won't be too far behind schedule."
There's a knock on the car's rear door, with the conductor pockets his Rotom Phone and turns to press a button next to the door, causing it to slide open, where he sees Victor and Gloria, with Scorbunny on Victor's shoulder and Sobble in Gloria's arms.
"I'm sorry, but passengers aren't allowed up here," the conductor says.
"We're just wondering why the train stopped," Gloria says.
The engineer stands up, holding a piece of metal, "Just some… engine trouble." He turns to the two young Trainers. "Don't worry, we'll be up and running in no time."
"Sobbl…" Sobble tilts its head slightly, as it looks at the opening under the controls, when it sees two white oval shapes in the darkness. "Sobbl?"
Gloria tilts her head to follow Sobble's glance, "What's that?"
The conductor and engineer turn as the Trainers and their Pokémon look ahead at the opening, before suddenly a Blipbug shoots out of the opening, "Blip! Blip!"
The Blipbug quickly crawls between Victor and Gloria, with Victor falling down onto his butt, as Scorbunny falls off his shoulder, and Gloria moves to the side.
"What was that Pokémon?" Gloria asks.
Gloria's Rotom Phone flies out of her backpack and floats in front of her, "Blipbug, the Larva Pokémon, often found in gardens, this Pokémon has hairs on its body that it uses to assess its surroundings."
"That answers that question," Gloria grabs her Rotom Phone out of the air.
"Also, answered what happened to the Train," the engineer adds.
"But why was it onboard the train at all?" the conductor asks. "I don't think it's a caught Blipbug."
"Wild or not, if it damages anymore of the train we won't be able to move at all," the engineer says.
"We'll stop it," Victor says, before he and Scorbunny run down the aisle.
"Scor!"
Gloria, with Sobble in her arms, ran after her friends, "'We'll stop it'?"
"I was acting without thinking," Victor blushes, with Gloria smiles.
The Blipbug enters a train car, without any of the passengers, all of whom are looking at their Rotom Phones, noticing it, as it crawls across the floor and slips into a woman's bag, lying under her table, which also has the woman's Galarian Meowth sleeping on the table. Victor, Gloria, and their Pokémon enter the car and start slowly looking around.
Victor reaches the woman's table, as he looks around, with Scorbunny couple steps behind him. Scorbunny then notices the woman's bag, slightly opened, before seeing Blipbug's eyes within the darkness.
"Scor!" Scorbunny runs ahead and dives into the bag, causing it to shake and bounce around.
"Meowt!" the woman's Meowth complains, as it wakes up.
"What in the…?!" the woman pulls her bag out, as Victor turns around, with Scorbunny's tail sticking out of the bag.
"Scorbunny?!" Victor grabs and pulls Scorbunny out of the bag.
"What's your Scorbunny doing in my bag?!" the woman angrily asks the young Trainer.
"Meowt!"
"Well, you see…" Victor nervously responds.
"Blip…"
Victor, Scorbunny, the woman, and her Meowth look down at the bag, before the Blipbug suddenly jumps out the bag, with the woman screams and falls backward, as her Meowth watches her.
"Meowt?"
Gloria turns away from a table, which Sobble is standing on, before she outstretches an arm, "Sobble, stop Blipbug with Water Gun!"
"Sobbl!" Sobble brings its hands together and shoots a stream of water from its mouth.
"Blip!" green energy appears around Blipbug before it falls down, through part of the stream of water and then hits Sobble, knocking it back across the table.
"Sobble!" Gloria calls out.
"Sobbl…" Sobble rubs the back of its head, while looking down.
Blipbug, back on the floor, crawls down the train car, with Victor watching.
"Scorbunny, Ember!" Victor calls out.
"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps out of Victor's hands, before it shoots out of its mouth, a series of small fireballs.
"Blip! Blip!" Blipbug crawls across the floor, moving left to right, dodging the small fireballs, before it reaches the end of the train car. "Blip!" Blipbug jumps up, hits a button next to the door, with the door slides open and it crawls through.
"C'mon, Scorbunny!" Victor runs ahead, with his Pokémon.
"Scor!"
Gloria scoops her Pokémon in her arms, "It's okay, Sobble, I'm sure you will have a second chance."
"Sobbl…"
Blipbug enters a train car, crawling past a large table holding different food, with people standing next to it, gathering their food, unaware of the Blipbug hits the button next to the other door and leaves.
Hop is at the table, with Grookey standing on the edge of the table, holding up a bowl full of curry, smelling it, unaware of Victor, with Scorbunny on his shoulder running past them.
"This curry smells delicious," Hop says.
"Key!" Grookey also smells the curry, as Gloria, and Sobble in her arms, run past them, with Grookey notices them as the last second. "Key?"
"How about we'll share?" Hop asks.
"Key!" Grookey happily responds.
Victor and Gloria, with their Pokémon, reach the last car to find it empty except for Blipbug, who is at the end of the car, watching them.
"Scor, Scor!"
"Victor, let Sobble handle this," Gloria says to her friend.
"Sobbl?" Sobble looks up at its Trainer.
Gloria looks down at the Pokémon in her arms, "I know you can do this."
"Sobbl!" Sobble nods its head.
"Blip?" Blipblug tilts its head.
"Alright, Sobble, let's start out with Pound!" Gloria calls out.
Sobble jumps up and slams down its arm, with Blipbug jumping back.
"Why Pound, would Water Gun be more powerful?" Victor asks.
"I checked the Rotom Phone while we were chasing it, according to it, the move Blipbug used earlier was Struggle Bug, which might've lowered Sobble's Special Attack, so I'll try for a regular Attack," Gloria explains.
"Blip!" green energy appears around Blipbug, before it jumps at Sobble.
"Sobble, dodge and counter with Pound!" Gloria instructs.
"Sobbl!" Sobble jumps up, as Blipbug moves past it, lands on top of a chair's back and then jumps down, slamming its arm on the Blipbug's back.
Blipbug pushes it back up slightly, getting Sobble's arm off it, before crawls away, turning around in the progress.
"Blip!" Blipbug, surrounded by green energy, jumps ahead, hitting Sobble.
"Sobbl!"
"Sobble!" Gloria yells, before biting her lower lip. "That Blipbug is too fast… right, maybe I can use that against it." Gloria takes a step forward. "Sobble, jump high in the air!"
"Sobbl…" Sobble gets back up and then jumps high, close to the train car's ceiling.
"Now, Sobble, use Water Gun, aim for the floor!" Gloria calls out.
"Sobbl!" Sobble shoots out a stream of water from its mouth, hitting the ground around Blipbug, as it crawls across the floor.
"Blip, Blip, Blip!" Blipbug tries to crawl across the water covered floor, but ends up slipping and turns onto its back. "Blip!"
"Sobble, go, use Pound!" Gloria yells.
"Sobbl!" Sobble comes falling down from the ceiling, slamming down its arm, hitting Blipbug right in the body.
"Blip!"
Sobble jumps back, landing a couple feet in front of the two Trainers.
"Scor! Scor! Scor!" Scorbunny is on Victor's shoulder, keeping on throwing its arms into the air as it's cheering.
"I see, you make the floor slippery with Water Gun, so Blipbug can't run around as fast," Victor realizes, before looking at his friend. "That's a great idea, Gloria." Gloria smiles at Victor, who blushes slightly and looks away, "Hum, although, I wonder, hum, why there's a Blipbug here, anyway."
"Good point," Gloria crosses her arms. "It's clearly a wild Pokémon, so why would it be so far from its habitat…" She suddenly looks to her friend. "Victor, the news article about poachers!"
"Of course, because of those poachers, this Blipbug lost its home," Victor looks at Blipbug, as it turns back onto its feet.
"That it, is it?" Gloria approaches the Blipbug, before sitting down in front of it with her legs crossed. "You lost your home and then got stuck on this train trying to search for a new home?"
"Blip…" Blipbug slowly nods its head.
"Did you stop the train because you want what you saw outside as your new home?" Gloria asks, as Sobble walks over to her.
"Blip…" Blipbug just lowers its head.
"But if that's the case, you would just leave the train and not run all over the place…" Gloria starts.
"Blip…"
"Are you scared?" Gloria asks.
"Blip," Blipbug nods its head.
"I can understand…" Gloria looks at Sobble, picks it up and sits it on her lap.
"Sobbl," Sobble looks up at Gloria.
"I'm afraid…" Gloria looks down slightly. "Afraid I can't get an endorsement for the Galar League and be able to do what I want… What I want…" Gloria sighs. "The truth is… I don't want to compete in the Galar League…"
"Scor?" Scorbunny and Victor look at each for a moment.
"Blip?" Blipbug looks up at Gloria, who meets its glance.
"I love Pokémon battles, to watch them and to participate in them, but competing in the Galar League is my friends' dreams, not mine," Gloria says. "I just want…" Gloria smiles. "I just want to travel around and see the world."
"Sobbl! Sobbl!" Sobble smiles up at its Trainer.
"Scor!" Scorbunny and Victor smile.
"So, Blipbug, what do you want?" Gloria asks, as she and Sobble look at the wild Pokémon.
Blipbug notices that Sobble's hand is softly touching one of Gloria's. Blipbug crawls over to them, and places its hand on Gloria and Sobble's, "Blip."
Gloria smiles, "You don't want a home, you want friends?"
Blipbug looks up at her and says, happily, "Blip!"
Gloria reaches for her bag and pulls out a Poké Ball, "About becoming my Pokémon, and we all can be friends."
"Sobbl!" Sobble smiles.
"Scor, Scor!" Scorbunny holds up one arm, with Victor smiling at its reaction.
"Blip, Blip!" Blipbug happily responds, before it places its head against the button on the Poké Ball, which opens with Blipbug turning into red energy, flies into the Poké Ball and closes. The Poké Ball shakes three times, with the button glowing red, before stopping, with small stars shooting out of the button.
"Alright, I caught Blipbug!" Gloria exclaims.
"Sobbl!"
The Poké Ball opens, shoots out red energy, forming Blipbug, who happily adds, "Blip!"
Later on, the train starts moving, as Hop and Grookey are walking down the aisle on the train car, with Hop carrying a bowl of curry.
"The train finally starts moving again, but you guys better hurry up before the food car is all emptied," Hop says, before reaching the table to see Victor and Gloria in their seats, with Scorbunny, Sobble, and Blipbug on the table, all five asleep.
"Oh, they're all asleep," Hop whispers. "We better find an empty table so we won't disturb them."
"Key…" Grookey whispers.
Hop and Grookey start to walk down the aisle, before they slide back to the table.
"Wait, did Gloria catch a Blipbug?!"
"Key!"
The train's whistle blows, as Victor, Gloria, and Hop exit the Meetup Spot Train Station.
"And here we are, the Meetup Spot!" Hop yells.
"Meetup Spot…?" Victor looks slightly to the left and right.
"Yeah, apparently it's called the Meetup Spot, because Trainers often meet here before they start exploring the Wild Area together," Gloria explains.
"And here's the Wild Area, the first step to me becoming the Galar League Champion," Hop bumps his fists.
"How many first steps do you have?" Gloria places a hand on her hip.
"C'mon, let's go!" Hop looks back at his friends, before starting to run ahead. "I can't wait another second."
"Wait up, Hop!" Gloria calls out, as she and Victor start to run after him.
"After a short delay, Victor and Gloria, as well as Hop, are on their way through the Wild Area. Now that Gloria has discovered what she truly wants, what next for our young heroes?"
"Find out, as the journey continues…"