"After being given a cryptic warning by Marnie, Victor sets out against Kabu, the Fire-Type Gym Leader. With Toxel proving its mettle, Victor and his Pokémon claim their third Gym Badge. Now, our heroes return to the Wild Area…"
"Brotherly Strife"
Victor and Gloria are walking past the East Lake Axewell, with Gloria looking at her Rotom Phone.
"It looks like even if we take the most direct route, it will take us some time to reach Stow-on-Side," Gloria says, before she looks over to Victor, who is staring at the three Gym Badges in his hand.
Gloria grins, "Keep on staring at your badges like that and they might combust."
"Oh, hum," Victor quickly looks over to Gloria, blushing. "Sorry, it's just so hard to believe that I got three Gym Badges."
"That's the most ridiculous thing ever!"
Victor and Gloria stop walking and look ahead to see two male Trainers yelling at each other.
"No it not! The Rolling Fields is the fastest route!" the Trainer with dark brown hair yells.
"I'm telling you, cutting through the North Lake Miloch will be much faster!" the Trainer with the tan brown hair yells.
"Now that is ridiculous!"
"No it not!"
"Excuse me, but there's no reason to fight," Gloria says, as she and Victor walk over.
"We weren't fighting!" both Trainers yell at them.
They then notice the Gym Badges in Victor's hand.
"Wait, are you two Gym Challengers?" the dark hair Trainer asks.
"Hum, I am…" Victor responds, after looking at his Gym Badges for a moment.
"But I am also a Trainer," Gloria adds.
Both Trainers grin at each other, before pointing at the other two, "Then, we challenge you two to a double battle!"
"What?!" Gloria responds, as she and Victor look at them, surprised.
Shortly, Victor and Gloria stand a couple feet away from the two Trainers.
"First, let's start with introductions," the dark hair Trainer starts, while holding a Poké Ball. "I'm Cory, the younger brother, and this is my partner…"
Cory throws the Poké Ball, which opens and shoots out red energy which forms Oddish, "Odd-sh."
"Oddish!"
Victor's Rotom Phone flies up, "Oddish, the Weed Pokémon, If exposed to moonlight, it starts to move. It roams far and wide at night to scatter its seeds."
The tan hair Trainer holds up a Poké Ball, "And I'm Eric, the older brother, and this is my partner…"
Eric throws the Poké Ball, which opens and shoots out red energy which forms Wingull, "Gull!"
"Wingull!"
Gloria's Rotom Phone flies up, "Wingull, the Seagull Pokémon, It soars on updrafts without flapping its wings. It makes a nest on sheer cliffs at the sea's edge."
Gloria places a hand on her waist, "So they're brothers who travel together… and they argue."
"We weren't arguing!" both brothers yell.
"Hum, right…" Victor holds up a Poké Ball and throws it. "I'm Victor and this is my partner…"
The Poké Ball opens and shoots out red energy, forming Scorbunny, "Scor!"
"Scorbunny."
Gloria throws a Poké Ball, "I'm Gloria and this is my partner…"
The Poké Ball opens and shoots out red energy, forming Sobble, "Sobbl."
"Sobble."
"A Scorbunny and a Sobble, huh?" Cory notes. "Let's begin this double battle…"
"I'll take the first move," Eric interrupts. "Wingull, Water Pulse!"
"Win…" Wingull breathes in deeply, before shooting out a pulsing blast of water. "Gull!"
"Scorbunny…" Victor starts.
"Sobble…" Gloria starts.
"Dodge!" Victor and Gloria yell at the same time.
"Scor!"
"Sobbl!"
Both Scorbunny and Sobble jump up, dodging the pulsing blast of water, but ends up bumping into each other, with Sobble knocked to the side.
"Sobbl…" Sobble rubs the top of its head.
"Sobble, are you okay?" Gloria asks.
"Who says you can take the first move," Cory says. "Oddish, show them what you got with Acid!"
"Odd-sh!" Oddish jumps at Sobble, before shaking the leaves on its head, throwing globs of acid.
"Sobble, quick, counter with Water Pulse!" Gloria calls out.
"Sobbl!" Sobble waves around it arounds before pushing them ahead, shooting a pulsing blast of water, which collides with the globs of acid, deflecting pieces of the acid.
"Scor!" Scorbunny runs around, dodging the pieces of acid.
"Scorbunny!" Victor calls out.
"Double Battles are more difficult than we thought…" Gloria says with a sweat drop.
"We got them now," Eric starts. "Wingull, Wing Attack!"
"Let's finish them," Cory starts. "Oddish, Stun Spore!"
Victor looks over to his friend, "Gloria, has Sobble hold onto Scorbunny."
"Right," Gloria responds, before looking. "Sobble, grab Scorbunny tightly."
"Sobbl," Sobble wraps its arms around Scorbunny.
"Look at that, two targets for the price of one!" Eric and Cory yell together.
"Gull!" Wingull flies toward its opponents, with its wings glowing.
"Odd-sh!" Oddish waves around its head leaves, with yellowish powder coming off from them.
"Scorbunny, now, jump up!" Victor calls out.
"Scor!" Scorbunny, with Sobble holding onto its back, jumps straight up.
"Gull!" Wingull misses its opponents, confused, before the yellowish powder lands on it, causing small electricity to go off around Wingull's body, while it seemingly stops midair.
"Hey, what you think you're doing, Cory?!" Eric yells.
"Me, what about you?!" Cory shouts.
"Scorbunny, Ember!"
"Sobble, Water Gun!"
"Scor!" Scorbunny shoots a series of fireballs from its mouth.
Sobble lets go of Scorbunny, who flips in midair, using its legs to propel Sobble higher up, before it shoots a stream of water from its mouth, "Sobbl!"
The water stream hits Wingull, as the series of fireballs hit Oddish, bringing up a large dust cloud.
As the dust cloud clears, both Oddish and Wingull lie on the ground, with their eyes whirling.
"Alright," Gloria says, as she fistbumps Victor.
"What do you mean it was my fault!" Cory yells, causing Victor and Gloria to look over to the two brothers.
"It was your Oddish that paralyzed Wingull!" Eric yells.
"Your Wingull got in the way!" Cory counters. "If you let Oddish and me attack first."
"We already had the advantage, we just need to push it!"
"I'm starting to think they are always like this," Gloria says, as Victor, Scorbunny, and Sobble nod their heads.
Suddenly Eric and Cory's stomachs growl, with them rub the back of their heads, blushing slightly. With the others sighing.
Shortly later, Eric is laying plates onto a collapsible table, as Victor kneels next to a pot while Scorbunny shoots a couple small fireballs at the woods beneath the pot, setting a fire.
"Thanks again for inviting us to lunch," Eric says, putting down a plate.
"Don't mention it," Gloria looks away from her Rotom Phone, which has a curry recipe, before looking at Victor and whispers. "Hopefully it will end the fighting."
"We can hope," Victor whispers.
"Scor," Scorbunny happily adds.
"Eric, what are you doing?" Cory says, as he approaches his brother. "I was gonna set the plates."
"It's always my job to set the plates, like it's always your job to gather the ingredients," Eric says.
"We agreed that we will switch jobs," Cory tells him.
"I never agreed to such a thing," Eric responds.
"That's because you never listen to anyone but yourself!" Cory yells.
"What does that mean!" Eric yells.
"Exactly what it sounds like!"
Gloria sighs, "Hop and Leon are brothers, but I don't ever remember Hop saying he argues with Leon."
Victor stands up, "Perhaps it's because Cory and Eric are closer in ages?"
"That's enough!" Both brothers yell, with Victor and Gloria quickly turn to face them and watch Eric and Cory walking off in opposite directions.
Gloria sighs, "Now what?"
"Maybe if we talk to them, we could help?" Victor suggests.
"I guess it won't hurt," Gloria says.
Victor and Gloria start to walk off, unaware that a Pokémon Den at the top of a nearby hill is giving off a slight glow.
Cory skips a pebble across a lake, as Victor approaches him.
"Are you okay, Cory?" Victor asks.
"Guess so…" Cory skips another pebble, before sighing. "It's just, I'm younger just by a year, and yet… Eric never listens to any of my ideas. At most, he humored me and then completely forgot what I said."
"Cory, I'm sure Eric respects you," Victor starts. "You just need to convince him to listen to you, calmly of course."
"Calmly, right…" Cory looks to Victor.
Gloria approaches Eric, who is pacing back and forth.
"Eric… do you want to talk?" Gloria asks.
"Cory can be so stubborn, and thinks he's always right," Eric complains. "I'm older than him, maybe only by a year, but I do have more experience than him."
"But you are traveling together," Gloria starts. "Maybe if you can explain, very calmly, that you two have to work together, you can get along better."
Eric stops pacing and looks over to her, "Work together, right…"
Shortly, Cory and Eric approach each other, as Victor and Gloria stand off to the side.
"Listen, we need to listen to each other," Cory shying says.
"Agreed, we must work together," Eric adds.
"Definitively," Cory agrees.
Gloria smiles, "Sounds like everything's gonna be okay, now."
Victor smiles and nods his head.
"We can't let your stubbornness get in the way," Eric says.
"What do you mean, my stubbornness?!" Cory yells.
"You always think you're right!" Eric yells.
"How would you know, you never listen to me!" Cory yells.
"I'm older, I know better!"
"Just because you're older, doesn't mean you know better!"
Gloria sighs, "Or I could be wrong."
Victor and Gloria approach the brothers.
"Calm down, there's no reason to be fighting," Victor says.
Both Cory and Eric look over to them, "We're not fighting!"
Cory and Eric then look past them, surprised, with Victor and Gloria turning around and seeing a large beam of red light shining out of the Pokémon Den on the hill, as it gets bigger. The four Trainers take a step back, as they see a large rounded form in the right light, before the light dims down, revealing a massive Pokémon lying on its back, with a large tree on its stomach.
"What is that?!" Cory yells.
Victor sees the Pokémon's face, "It's a Snorlax!"
Gloria's Rotom Phone flies up, "Snorlax, the Sleeping Pokémon, It is not satisfied unless it eats over 880 pounds of food every day. When it is done eating, it goes promptly to sleep."
Gloria grabs the Rotom Phone, "That was not very helpful, when it had Gigantamaxed!"
"It's just like Rocky told us... about Dynamaxed Pokémon coming out of their Dens…" Victor remembers.
"I think it's asleep…" Eric says.
"Snor!" Snorlax loudly yells.
"It is the Sleeping Pokémon, I don't think that gonna slow it down," Cory says, as Eric looks over to him, annoyed.
"Okay, so what're we gonna do, smart guy?" Eric asks.
"Get ready to defend yourself," Gloria says, as she and Victor hold up Poké Balls.
"Go, Rookidee!" Victor throws a Poké Ball.
"Dee!"
"Go, Sirfetch'd!" Gloria throws a Poké Ball.
"Sir, Fetch!"
Sirfetch'd looks up at the Gigantamaxed Snorlax, with stars in its eyes, before, standing in front of Gloria, and holds up its leek, "Sir, Fetch!"
"Of course you're excited about battling a Gigantamaxed Pokémon," Gloria says, with a sweatdrop.
"Go, Oddish!" Cory throws a Poké Ball.
"Odd-sh!"
"Go, Wingull!" Eric throws a Poké Ball.
"Gull!"
"Snor!" Pink energy waves are emitted from Snorlax's body, which hits the four Pokémon, causing a wave of energy, knocking them back.
"What hits them?" Eric asks.
"It must be the Psychic-type Max Move," Gloria guesses.
"Rookidee, fly high up above it!" Victor instructs.
"Dee!" Rookidee flies up past Snorlax and starts hovering above it.
"Oddish, use Acid...!" Cory instructs.
"Wingull, use Water Gun…!" Eric instructs.
"Aim high!" both brothers finish.
"Odd-sh."
"Gull."
Oddish and Wingull start to move forward.
"Wait!"
Oddish and Wingull fall down.
"What you thinking, Water Gun is gonna dilluated Acid," Cory tells his brother.
"Which is why you should hold back!" Eric responds.
"Acid is most effective!"
"But you need to wait and lower its guard!"
"It's asleep, Eric!"
"You just always think Acid is the best way to go!"
"And I'm always right!"
"Snor!" Snorlax calls out, as two beams of dark energy shoot out of its body.
"Dee!" Rookidee flies away from the dark energy beams and looks down at everyone. "Dee! Dee! Dee!"
"Everyone, watch out!" Victor calls out.
Cory and Eric turn to look at their Pokémon, as Oddish and Wingull turn to see and the beams of dark energy circles around them, forming a large dark dome, before it blows apart, showing Oddish and Wingull, as they fall down.
"Oddish!"
"Wingull!"
Cory looks over to his brother, "This is your fault, Eric!"
"My fault?! It's because of your stubbornness!"
"Mine stubbornness?! How about yours…!"
"That's enough!" Eric and Cory look over to Gloria. "Both of your Pokémon got hurt because you two were too busy fighting, instead of pushing aside your differences and working together."
Eric and Cory look at each other and then down, slightly.
"Dee! Dee!"
"Sir, Fetch?" Sirfetch'd looks up at Rookidee, before looking over to Snorlax. "Sir, Fetch."
"Snor!"
"Great, and Snorlax is gearing up for another attack," Gloria says. "How are we supposed to beat him?"
"Gloria," Victor walks over to his friend. "Your Dynamax Band."
Gloria looks at her Dynamax Band which is giving off a small glow, "It's reacting…"
She looks up at Sirfetch'd, who nods its head.
"Alright, then," Gloria smiles, before she holds out a Poké Ball.
Sirfetch'd turns into red energy, flies into the Poké Ball. Gloria then holds out her hands, with the large, glowing Poké Ball surrounding it, before Gloria starts to turn around, "Sirfetch'd, Dynamax!"
Gloria throws the large Poké Ball which opens and shoots out a massive red energy, as it starts to take shape and grows, until it forms a giant Sirfetch'd, "Sir! Fetch!"
"Snor!" pink waves of energy fly off from Snorlax.
"Sirfetch'd, quick, Max Guard,!" Gloria instructs.
"Sir, Fetch!" Sirfetch'd steps ahead and holds down its shield, as a large energy dome appears in front of it, blocking the waves of energy from reaching everyone.
Rookidee flies around Sirfetch'd, happily, "Dee! Dee!"
Cory picks up Oddish in his arms, "You know, she's right. We were fighting too much…"
"Odd-sh…
"Yeah, guess so…" Eric picks up Wingull in his arms.
"Gull…"
"Snor!"
"Okay, Sirfetch'd, Max Flutterby!" Gloria instructs.
"Rookidee, back it up with Fury Attack!" Victor calls out.
"Sir!" Sirfetch'd swings its leek, as its body glows a slight green, followed by a large number of green energy Butterfree flies from its body. "Fetch!"
"Dee!" Rookidee flies alongside the energy Butterfree, with its beak glowing.
The energy Butterfree flies into Snorlax, hitting it repeatedly before causing a massive explosion. Rookidee flies, swinging its beak back and forth, before finally a berry falls from the tree on Snorlax's stomach and into its mouth.
"Snor!" Snorlax's body glows slightly.
"Dee…" Rookidee watches, as it sweat drops.
"Snor!"
The ground beneath Sirfetch'd starts to crack, "Sir…?"
"Sirfetch'd, watch out!" Gloria calls out.
A large explosion geyser blows out of the ground, "Fetch!"
As the explosion dissipates, Sirfetch'd falls to one knee.
At that moment, a berry pops onto Snorlax's tree.
"Wait, did Snorlax use a move that regenerates a berry?" Victor realizes. "Y'know, we might be able to calm down Snorlax, if we can get that berry away from it."
"You think that would work?" Gloria asks.
"It might, but the only problem I see is Rookidee might not be able to do it on its own," Victor says.
"We can help," Cory says.
Victor and Gloria turn to see Cory, Eric, Oddish, and Wingull.
"Are you two up to this?" Gloria asks.
Eric looks at his brother, "We are."
"Okay, then, Sirfetch'd, Max Flutterby!" Gloria calls out.
"Rookidee, get in close with Fury Attack!" Victor calls out.
"Wingull, follow after Rookidee!" Eric calls out.
"Oddish, stay close and use Acid!" Cory calls out.
"Sir!" Sirfetch'd swings its leek, as its body glows a slight green, followed by a large number of green energy Butterfree flies from its body. "Fetch!"
"Dee!" Rookidee flies alongside the energy Butterfree, with its beak glowing.
"Gull!" Wingull flies right behind Rookidee.
"Odd-sh!" Oddish jumps up, swings around the leaves on its head, throwing globs of acid.
The energy Butterfree flies into Snorlax, hitting it repeatedly before causing a massive explosion.
Globs of acid hitting Snorlax's body and tree, "Snor…"
"Alright, Snorlax's Special Defense is lowering!" Cory calls out.
"Now, Rookidee, knocks down that berry!" Victor instructs.
"Wingull, bats it away!" Eric instructs.
"Dee!" Rookidee swings its beak back and forth, and ends up cutting the berry free from the tree.
"Gull!" Wingull flies around, using its wing to bat away the berry.
"Odd-sh!" Oddish jumps up, with the berry landing on its head. "Odd-sh!"
"Great catch, Oddish," Cory says, before he notices something. "Oddish, watch out!"
"Odd-sh…" Oddish looks up to see Snorlax's hand coming toward it.
"Wingull, use Water Gun!" Eric calls out.
"Gull!" Wingull shoots a blast of water from its mouth, hitting Snorlax's hand and forcing it to the side.
Wingull and Rookidee then fly away, with Oddish running away with the berry.
"Now, Sirfetch'd, let's go, Max Knuckle!" Gloria calls out.
"Sir!" Sirfetch'd shoves its shield ahead, as a large energy fist shoots out. "Fetch!"
The large energy fist collides with Snorlax, causing a large explosion.
"Sir… Fetch…" Sirfetch'd's body glow, as it shrinks back down to normal size.
As the smoke from the explosion clears, Snorlax is shown to have returned to normal and stand up, "Snor…"
The berry rolls off Oddish's head and rolls over to Snorlax.
Snorlax picks up the berry, eats it in one bite, "Snor." Snorlax then falls onto its back and falls asleep.
The Trainers continue to watch the scene, before they start laughing, followed by their Pokémon.
Later, as Snorlax continues to sleep in the distance, Victor and Gloria are standing in front of Cory and Eric.
"We're sorry if we cause any problems," Cory says.
"Yeah, I guess we both were somewhat stubborn," Eric adds.
"At least, everything's better now," Victor says.
"Just no more fighting," Gloria says.
"We weren't…" Cory and Eric start, before they lend back and start scratching the back of their heads.
"Yeah, we will work on that," Cory says.
"And work on improving our teamwork," Eric says.
After a few moments, Victor and Gloria are walking in the opposite directions of the brothers, as they wave goodbye.
"You'll meet different types of people, some of which won't necessarily always get along. A lesson Victor and Gloria learned, but they also learn that anyone can truly get along if they can push past their differences. What other lessons will our heroes learn?"
"Find out, as the journey continues…"