"A run in with a lightning storm gave Pikachu an overcharge of electricity, but Victor was able to aid his Pokémon and together they claim a second Gym Badge. Now alongside Gloria, and the rest of their Pokémon friends, our heroes are set for the next leg of their adventure."
"Chew on This, Chewtle"
The Hulbury's Pokémon Center's door opens, with Victor and Gloria exiting the building, as Victor is holding up the ring containing the Grass Badge and Water Badge.
Gloria looks over to her friend, smiling, "I gotta say, I'm very impressed."
Victor blushes, looking away from his Gym Badges, "Really? I-It was nothing…"
Victor starts to put away the badge ring, as Gloria continues, "Don't overlook your accomplishments. You defeat two powerful Gym Leaders."
"Perhaps… but there are still six more," Victor says, as the two continue to walk. "I just worry if I'm able to beat the others…"
"You need to have more confidence," Gloria starts, before she looks ahead, happily. "Hold your head up high, and don't let anything weigh you down."
At that moment, Gloria's stomach growls, causing her to stop, holding her stomach, and blushes, "Almost anything that is…"
"What happened to 'hold your head up high'?" Victor asks.
Gloria looks over to him, slightly annoyed, "Kinda hard to hold your head up high when your stomach is empty."
"Perhaps we should get something to eat before leaving Hulbury," Victor suggests, with a sweat drop.
Gloria drops a fist into her other hand, "Oh yeah, there's supposed to be a great restaurant in Hulbury…"
"The Captain's Table!" Gloria exclaims, as she and Victor stand outside the restaurant.
The two Trainers enter the restaurant, only to find its dining hall is completely empty, saved for one man at a table.
"I wonder why it's so empty in the middle of the day," Gloria says, with Victor just shrugs his shoulders.
The two start to walk between tables, passing the man, who suddenly asks, "How is your Gym Challenge going?"
"It's been fine…" Victor says, before he stops and starts to turn. "Wait, how do you know I'm a Gym Challenger?"
Victor and Gloria turn to see a man wearing casual clothes, sunglasses, and a ballcap, "Chairman Rose?!"
"You recognize me?" Rose says, pulling down his sunglasses slightly. "How could you recognize me so easily in this disguise?"
Rose pushes his glasses back up, as an audible sigh is heard behind him, with Rose turns toward the approaching Oleana, pocketing her Rotom Phone, "I told you, Chairman Rose, it's not much of a disguise."
"And like always, you're right," Rose responds, before looking back at the two young Trainers. "I don't believe you have been introduced. This is my assistant, Oleana."
"It's nice to meet you," Gloria says, with Victor nodding his head.
"Likewise," Oleana responds.
"Now, why don't you two join us for lunch," Rose offers, with the two Trainers looking at each other. "I insist."
"W-We would love to," Victor says.
"Of course," Gloria adds.
Victor and Gloria seat down across Rose, as Oleana seats down next to him.
"Now, I don't believe you and I have been introduced yet, Ms…?" Rose says to Gloria.
"Oh, I'm Gloria, from Postwick."
"Gloria… yeah, I remembered," Rose starts, surprising Gloria. "You're the young girl that wrote to me awhile back, asking for an endorsement. Even in your letter, I could tell you were only interested in traveling and not the Gym Challenge."
Gloria smiles and blushes, "Leon felt the same way, and you were both right."
"Either way, I'm glad to see everything's working out," Rose says.
A waiter then comes over, with two plates carrying curry, placing them in front of Rose and Oleana, "Here you go, Mr. Chairman."
"I really need to work on my disguise," Rose sweat drops.
"Excuse me, if you don't mind me asking, but why is the restaurant so empty?" Gloria asks.
The waiter sighs, "We've been having trouble lately with… keeping happy customers."
"What could you mean by that?" Rose asks, as he rests his elbows on the table.
"Chew!"
The group at the table look to the table, seeing a Chewtle eating the curry from one of the plates, before looking up, smiling, "Chew!"
"Oh, I see…" Rose responds.
Victor's Rotom Phone flies up, "Chewtle, the Snapping Pokémon, Apparently the itch of its teething impels it to snap its jaws at anything in front of it."
Victor takes his Rotom Phone, "And apparently it has a big appetite."
"That one way to put it," Gloria starts to reach out. "Hey, that's not your food."
"Chew!" Chewtle jumps away from Gloria trying to grab it, and lands next to the other plate and starts to eat from it.
"That not yours either," Victor reaches out for Chewtle.
"Chew!" Chewtle jumps away and returns to eating from the first plate.
"Stop that!" Gloria reaches out a hand.
"Chew!" Chewtle bites down onto Gloria's outreached hand, causing her to scream.
Suddenly one of Gloria's Poké Ball shoots out a red beam, which turns into Sirfetch'd, "Sir, Fetch?"
Sirfetch'd sees Gloria, as a Princess, pulls away her hand in pain.
"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd jumps onto the table and swings its leek.
"Chew!" Chewtle jumps off the jump.
"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd jumps after Chewtle.
"Sirfetch'd!" Gloria calls out.
"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd swings its leek, with Chewtle motions its head, dodging the attack.
"Chew!" Chewtle opens its mouth and bites onto the leek.
"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd yells, as Chewtle keeps its hold on the leek, causing Sirfetch'd to swing it's leek wildly, forcing Chewtle to let go and fly to behind a table.
Sirfetch'd then looks at its leek, back and forth, checking it.
Oleana sighs, before she holds up a Poké Ball, when Rose holds up an arm.
"No need for that," Rose says, before holding down his arm. "Let's see how our young friends handle this."
"Sirfetch'd, are you okay?" Gloria asks, as she and Victor approach the Pokémon.
Sirfetch'd looks up at Gloria and then immediately bows in front of her, "Sir, Fetch!"
"That's… good," Gloria blushes.
"What happened to Chewtle?" Victor asks.
Victor, Gloria, and Sirfetch'd look around, before seeing Oleana pointing to the side and sees Chewtle going through the kitchen door.
"Oh no, not again!" a voice calls out from the kitchen.
Victor and Gloria hurry into the kitchen to see Chewtle eating from a large pot, with a cook tries to grab it, but Chewtle jumps away and starts eating a plate of noodles. Another cook tries to grab Chewtle, but it jumps away and starts eating a plate of curry. A waiter tries to grab Chewtle, but it jumps away and starts eating from another plate of noodles.
"At this rate, it will eat up all of our inventory," the head chief, Cap, says, as he rustles the hat on his head.
"We'll stop it," Victor says, before he throws a Poké Ball, which opens and shoots out red energy, turning into Pikachu.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu lands on a wheeled tray.
"Alright, Pikachu stop Chewtle with Thunder Shock," Victor instructs.
"Pika Pika…!" Pikachu's cheeks start to spark.
Cap slides to infront of them, waving his arms, "No, you can't! If you hit the stove, the entire place could blow up!"
Victor and Pikachu's faces turn red, before they turn and bow in front of him, "We are so sorry."
"Pika Pi."
"Chew!" Chewtle happily says, as it picks up its head from a plate, before it turns and jumps off the counter, going through the back door.
"And like that, it's gone," Cap sighs.
Rose and Oleana are entering the kitchen.
"So Chewtle left," Rose starts. "I wonder what could be going on with it."
Cap turns to face the group of customers, "That wild Chewtle has been sneaking into the restaurant for days now, eating any food it can get to. Eventually, it ends up scaring away most of our customers."
"That is a big problem you got there," Rose says, with a hand to his chin, before placing his hands on the two young Trainers' shoulders. "Perhaps, our young friends here, being Pokémon Trainers, could assist with the problem Chewtle provided."
Victor and Gloria look at Rose, surprising, before looking back at Cap, smiling.
"Of course, we'll love to help," Gloria says.
"Right, we'll do our best," Victor adds.
"Marvelous, I appreciate anything you two could do," Cap claps his hands together, as Rose steps back from the Trainers.
"Chairman," Oleana starts. "Remember there is a lot of work you must see to."
"Now, now, Oleana, we can't just leave here while in the midst of such a problem," Rose tells her, with Oleana sighing.
Within a few moments, the group starts to leave the kitchen, when Victor turns to see a cook is using a spoon to take a taste of soup from a large pot.
"Why didn't Chewtle eat that?" Victor wonders, before the cook pulls back from the spoon, and dissatisfying shakes his head.
Later on, Victor, Gloria, Scorbunny, Pikachu, Sobble, Sirfetch'd, Rose, and Oleana, who had her arms crossed, stand around a corner across the street from the Captain's Table. At the same time, Rookidee is flying around, above the restaurant.
"I don't believe we are participating in this," Oleana says.
"Oh, c'mon, Oleana, you are having fun," Rose says to her.
"No. I am not," Oleana responds.
As the others are watching the Captain's Table, Sobble notices Gloria turns to face Rose, "Hum, Chairman Rose, do you mind if I ask you a question."
"Of course not," Rose smiles.
"I'm just wondering… why you gave Bede an endorsement?" Gloria asks.
"Sobbl…" Sobble looks up at its Trainer.
Rose grins, "I'm aware that Bede could be… abrasive for some. But I saw him as a passionate Trainer, with real potential."
Oleana watches Rose, as he faces Gloria, before looking away.
Rookidee, still flying in circles, sees Chewtle approaching the side of the restaurant, "Dee! Dee!"
Gloria turns, as Victor looks ahead, "That's Rookidee's signal."
"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd charges ahead.
"Sirfetch'd, wait!" Gloria holds out a hand.
"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd jumps toward Chewtle, and swings down its leek repeatedly. "Sir, Fetch!"
"Chew!" Chewtle lowers its head to dodge the first swing, then jumps over its head, avoiding the rest of the swings. Chewtle then starts to shoot a water stream from its mouth, "Chew!"
"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd, after turning, is hit by the attack and knocks back into the water. Sirfetch'd pops out of the water's surface, panicking, as it has trouble remaining afloat. "Sir! Fetch! Sir! Fetch!"
Chewtle continues to the restaurant, as Gloria and the others stop to watch Sirfetch'd.
"Sirfetch'd!" Gloria calls out, before she holds out a Poké Ball, which shoots a red beam, hitting the panicking Sirfetch'd, turning it into red energy and flies into the Poké Ball, which closes.
Inside Captain's Table, Victor, Gloria, and their Pokémon enter to see Chewtle eating a salad bowl in front of a woman, who clearly looks upset.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu jumps ahead, but Chewtle jumps out of the way, with Pikachu slides onto the table, knocking the half filled bowl over and onto its head. Pikachu looks up at the woman, with Pikachu smiles slightly, "Pika Pi."
Chewtle is running across a table, with Sobble jumps onto the table, "Sobbl, Sobbl…"
Chewtle continues to run toward it, with Sobble waving its arms, "Sobbl! Sobbl!" Suddenly Sobble closes its eyes and shoots a stream of water from its mouth.
After a few seconds, Sobble stops its attack and opens its eyes, "Sobbl?!" Sobble doesn't see Chewtle, just sees Victor, with his arms outstretched, and his face wet, before he falls down, with Sobble looking to the side to Chewtle is on another table, eating a plate of curry.
"Scor! Scor!" Scorbunny jumps ahead, starting to spin in midair, when Chewtle jumps to the side, causing Scorbunny to slip on some sauce residue on the plate and slide down the table. "Scor! Scor!" Scorbunny ends up slamming into a wall and falls down.
"Dee!" Rookidee flies into the restaurant, with Rose and Oleana behind it.
Rookidee flies around and pass Chewtle, on a table, with Chewtle watching and backing off to avoid it, before suddenly Gloria drops a large bowl onto Chewtle.
"Dee! Dee!" Rookidee lands on the table, excitedly.
"Alright, we did it!" Gloria adds.
The two then turn to the side to see Chewtle is on another table, eating a small bowl of soup. They then look at the overturned bowl, before Gloria picks up the bowl to reveal a large hole bitten into the table, with the two then falling down.
Victor places his back against the wall next to the door leading to the kitchen.
"Well done," Cap is heard saying from the kitchen, before Victor peeks in slightly, to see Cap is tasting from a small bowl, next to a cook. "Your improvement for the receipt is marvelous."
Victor looks to the side.
Victor turns to see a cook is using a spoon to take a taste of soup from a large pot. The cook pulls back from the spoon, and dissatisfying shakes his head.
Victor looks back ahead, before hurrying into the kitchen, approaching Cap, "Excuse me, but can I ask for a small favor."
Cap raises an eyebrow.
"Chew!" Chewtle finishes slurping up a piece of noodle, seemingly unaware that Gloria, Scorbunny, and Pikachu is behind it, readying their fingers, before lunging at Chewtle, who jumps out of the way, with Gloria and the two Pokémon slamming into the table.
Chewtle is walking across a table.
"Hey, Chewtle."
"Chew?" Chewtle looks over to see Victor exiting the kitchen, with Cap behind him, while carrying a bowl of soup.
"Here, have some of this fresh soup," Victor puts the bowl on the table.
"Victor, what are you doing?" Gloria approaches her friend, alongside Sobble, Scorbunny, Pikach, and Rookidee.
"Watch," Victor gives a small smile.
Chewtle takes a slip from the soup, but turns its head and sticks out its tongue, "Chew…"
"Isn't it bad enough that Chewtle eats all of our food, does it also have to insult us," Cap complains.
"But it hadn't eaten all of the food," Victor says, as he and Cap look over the dinning room. "It had only eaten some of the food, while taking small tastes from others, and completely avoided the rest."
"Huh, I've never noticed before…" Cap says.
"Good eye, Victor," Rose adds, as he and Oleana approach.
Chewtle then walks up to the bowl, with a small bottle of salt in its mouth, putting it down next to the bowl, "Chew!"
Cap picks up the salt bottle, looks at it for a second, before sprinkles some onto the soup.
Chewtle then slips up some of the soup, before it exclaims happily, "Chew! Chew!"
"Chewtle really like it," Gloria says.
Cap takes a spoonful of soup and slips it, "Wow, it really is better than before." Cap then looks down at Chewtle. "But this doesn't explain why it been coming here to eat the food."
"Now that I think about it," Oleana starts, as she puts a hand to her chin. "Over the past couple weeks we've been getting some reports of Water type Pokémon being displaced from their homes due to larger than usual ship activities." Oleana holds down her hand. "Probably due to the current Gym Challenge season."
"So Chewtle must have come here, looking for food," Victor guesses.
Cap sighs, and looks at Chewtle, "I sympathizes, but I can't have Chewtle eats all of our food."
"Then maybe…" Gloria grins. "You could put Chewtle to work?"
A little bit later, in the Captain Table's kitchen, a cook puts a plate of curry on a table, with Chewtle standing there, and takes a small bite of the curry.
"Chew, Chew," Chewtle shakes its head, with a sadden expression.
Cap takes a spoon of the curry and examines, "I agree, it needs to cook a little bit longer."
The cook takes the plate off the table.
Cap looks to Chewtle, "Ready to taste the new receipts everyone are working on?"
"Chew!" Chewtle happily responds.
Meanwhile Rose and Oleana are walking Victor and Gloria through Hulbury.
"I got to compliment you two on figuring out what the problem was with the Chewtle, and finding a benetical solution for everyone," Rose says.
"It was Victor who realized that Chewtle had such a good sense of taste to immediately know which food is good or not," Gloria says, with Victor blushing.
Rose smiles, "So, you two are going back to Motostoke for the next Gym?"
"I-I didn't realize the Motostoke Gym is next," Victor says, while the entire group comes to a stop, with Victor thinking about being nervous during the opening ceremony. "Hopefully I'll be better than time…"
"I'm confident that you'll do fine," Rose says.
After a few moments, Victor and Gloria are walking toward the exit of Hulbury, while waving at Rose, as Oleana is holding up her Rotom Phone.
Oleana puts down her Rotom Phone and approaches Rose, "Bede just reported that he had found a large number of wishing stars."
"Very good," Rose looks over his shoulder at Oleana. "Tell him to send them all to the Rose Tower, and to keep on searching for more."
Rose then looks back ahead with a grin, "We gonna need a lot more for my plan to save the Galar region."
"A surprise run-in and a surprise encounter with a wild Pokémon showed our heroes how people and Pokémon can work together and to help each other. Now setting off back to Motostoke, what next adventure awaits them?"
"Find out, as the journey continues…"