"Victor had been given his second trial at the Master Dojo: retrieving a Max Mushroom in the Warm-Up Tunnel. Along the way, he and Gloria face challenge after challenge, but now they have finally arrived at their destination."
"Max Out on Potential"
Victor and Gloria arrive at the Warm-Up Tunnel, looking into its entrance.
"Wow, I didn't realize how creepy this place will look," Gloria says, with a sweatdrop.
"Yeah…" Victor starts, looking deep into the tunnel. "I just hope that finding a Max Mushroom won't be too hard."
"You'll be fine, Victor," Gloria says.
At the same time, within the tunnel, Avery and Klara peek from behind a boulder, watching the two at the entrance.
"I don't believe that Victor found his way here," Avery says, with his teeth grinding. "Must be blind luck."
"Ever think of getting a hobby?" Klara asks, looking at Avery.
"Okay, let's go then," Gloria says.
"Gloria," Victor says, stopping his friend, who looks at him. "Do you mind waiting out here?"
"Waiting?" Gloria asks.
"Remembered what Master Mustard said, that I must acquire the Max Mushroom on my own," Victor says.
Gloria smiles, "Of course, I'll wait for you here."
"Thanks," Victor smiles, before holding up a Poké Ball. "Though, I'm not the only one training."
Victor tosses up the Poké Ball, which shoots out a red beam, forming Cinderace, "Cinder."
"Ready to go, Cinderace?" Victor asks.
"Cinder," Cinder says with a smile.
Gloria then watches as the two enter the tunnel, "Good luck."
Victor and Cinderace are walking through the tunnel, looking around as they see a wild Cubone peeks around a corner.
"Cu-bo?"
"Cinder," Cinderace smiles at Cubone, who ducks back behind the corner.
"Sand," a wild Sandshrew digs out of the ground and watches as Victor and Cinderace walks past it. "Sand."
Victor looks down, "I wonder how deep we must go to find a Max Mushroom."
"Cinder," Cinderace places a hand on Victor's shoulder, before nodding its head. "Cinder, Cinder."
Victor smiles and nods.
As the two pass, Avery peeks around a corner, watching them.
"No way that kid will get lucky again, I will make sure he'll fail," Avery says.
Klara, standing next to him, crosses her arms, "Maybe he hadn't gotten lucky."
Avery turns to her, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"What it sounded like, perhaps he's actually a good Trainer," Klara suggests.
"Are you kidding, he's just a kid," Avery tells her, annoyed.
"Whatever," Klara starts to turn away. "I have no interest in interfering with Victor." She walks down the path. "I'm gonna focus on getting my own Max Mushroom. You should do the same."
"Mmhm," Avery scoffs, turning away with his arms crossed, "Getting a Max Mushroom will be easy for someone as skilled as me."
Cinderace picks a small mushroom off the tunnel's floor, with Victor holding up his Rotom Phone.
"Sorry, Cinderace, that is a Tiny Mushroom, not a Max Mushroom," Victor says. "Nice try."
"Cinder, Cinder," Cinderace hands the Tiny Mushroom to Victor.
Victor looks at the Tiny Mushroom in his hand, "You know, I've always doubted myself…"
"Cinder?"
"I got stronger, I know that," Victor starts. "But the trouble with Bouffalant, and my difficulty in helping Kubfu… It all makes me doubt myself if I could get any stronger…"
"Cinder," Cinderace places a hand on the Tiny Mushroom, with Victor looking at his Pokémon. "Cinder, Cinder."
Victor smiles, "But you believe in me?"
"Cinder, Cinder," Cinderace nods his head.
"Thanks," Victor says. "That does give me some strength…"
Avery is walking through the tunnel, spinning a Poké Ball with telekinesis above a hand, "Not lucky? Klara is just ridiculous. She's just as bad as Victor."
Avery grabs the Poké Ball in his hand, before angrily kicks a rock, which went flying, bounces off the tunnel's wall and flies past a boulder, hitting something soft.
Avery looks ahead, before he starts to hear a crying. He runs ahead and looks behind the boulder to see a Kangaskhan baby, crying, while sitting in front of pieces of something.
"A baby Kangaskhan?" Avery realizes. "But where is its parent?"
At that moment, an adult Kangaskhan rises up behind Avery.
Victor and Cinderace enter a large area within the tunnel, before they look up to see on a high up ridge are two large glowing mushrooms sticking out.
Victor holds up his Rotom Phone, "That's it. Max Mushrooms."
"Cinder," Cinderace smiles, then jumps up to reach the ridge and with a swift kick, cuts the two Max Mushrooms loose, before they all fall down onto the floor. "Cinder!"
Victor walks over to his Pokémon, "Good job, Cinderace. Though we only need one Max Mushroom."
"Cinder," Cinderace rubs the back of its head.
Victor picks up one of the mushrooms and stuffs it into his backpack, before they hear a noise and quickly run through the tunnel until they reach another large area where Avery and his Kadabra are standing off against the adult Kangaskhan.
"A Kangaskhan!" Victor calls out.
Victor's Rotom Phone rises up, "Kangaskhan, the Parent Pokémon, Although it's carrying its baby in a pouch on its belly, Kangaskhan is swift on its feet. It intimidates its opponents with quick jabs."
Victor holds down his Rotom Phone, "What happened?"
"I got it," Avery says to Victor, before looking back ahead. "Kadabra, Psyshock!"
"Kada! Ba!" Kadabra holds out its spoon, launching shockwaves of energy.
"Kanga!" Kangaskhan crosses its arms, as the shockwaves of energy collide with it.
"Kangaskhan used Endure," Victor realizes.
"I can see that," Avery says to Victor, before looking back ahead.
"Kanga!" Kangaskhan punches Kadabra, before punching it again, knocking it up against a wall.
"Kada!"
"Kadabra!" Avery calls out, as Cinderace runs past him, to his surprise.
"Kanga!" Kangaskhan starts to deliver a punch, when Cinderace's kick collides with the punch, before Kangaskhan jumps back. "Kanga!"
"Cinder, Cinder!" Cinderace says to it.
"Kanga!" Kangaskhan headbutts Cinderace.
"Cinder!" Cinderace is forced back, before it kicks a small pebble, launching a small fireball.
"Kanga!" Kangaskhan punches the fireball, managing to punch it away.
"Cinderace, its Double Hit and Headbutt could be devastating," Victor tells his Pokémon. "Keep your distance and use Ember!"
"Cinder!" Cinderace jumps back to dodge Kangaskhan's punch, before shooting a series of small fireballs from its mouth.
"Kanga!" Kangaskhan crosses its arms, blocking the small fireballs.
Kangaskhan uncrosses his arms, before charges forward, as Victor notices its pouch is empty.
"Wait, where's Kangaskhan's baby?" Victor realizes, then looks around, before noticing the baby Kangaskhan, teary eyes, sitting next to the boulder.
Avery is kneeling next to Kadabra, as it rubs the back of its head, when he notices where Victor's looking, "Hey, don't you even know to pay attention to a battle?"
"What is…" Victor starts to wonder, when he notices the pieces of something next to the baby. "Is that… a tiny mushroom?!"
Victor looks to the side, before looking over, "Cinderace, keep Kangaskhan back!"
"Kanga?" Kangaskhan starts to look over its shoulder, as Victor runs past.
"Cinder!" Cinderace jumps at Kangaskhan, launching a kick.
"Kanga!" Kangaskhan turns back and punches, colliding with Cinderace's kick.
Victor kneels down to the baby Kangaskhan, "Hey there…"
"Kanga…" the baby Kangaskhan, still teary-eyed, looks up at Victor.
"Of course, the kid goes over to another kid," Avery says, as he and Kadabra stand back up. "Guess we're gonna have to clean up this mess."
"Kada?"
"Wha…?" Avery starts.
Victor holds out a Tiny Mushroom to the baby, "Here, is this what you want?"
"Kanga… Kanga!" the baby happily says.
"Kanga?" Kangaskhan says, as it turns away from Cinderace, with Cinderace looks past it.
"Kanga! Kanga!" the baby holds the Tiny Mushroom in its hands, as it happily calls out.
"Kanga," Kangaskhan smiles, as it walks over and picks up its baby.
"Kanga! Kanga!" the baby responds.
"Kanga," Kangaskhan smiles again, as it places its baby back into its pouch.
"Cinder," Cinderace walks over to Victor, smiling, as they watch Kangaskhan walk deep into the tunnel.
"That's it?" Avery asks. "It just walked away?"
"Kangaskhan's baby was upset because its Tiny Mushroom was crushed, which was why its parent was so angry," Victor explains, before tilting his head. "Though I wondered how something like that could happen."
Avery looks ahead surprised, "He's very observant…"
Victor turns to Avery and his Kadabra, "Are you two okay?"
"Of course we are," Avery turns away, starting to walk away, before adding under his breath, "Thank you."
Victor and Cinderace watch them, before looking at each other and smiling.
Gloria sits under a tree, when she sees Klara exiting the Warm-Up Tunnel.
"Klara?" Gloria gets up, approaching her. "You got your Max Mushroom?"
"Of course," Klara says, tugging her bag's shoulder strap. "Waiting for Victor?"
Gloria looks past Klara, smiling, "Not anymore."
Klara turns to see Victor and Cinderace exiting the tunnel.
"So?" Gloria asks, while standing next to Klara.
"We got the Max Mushroom," Victor says, holding onto his bag's shoulder strap.
"Cinder!' Cinderace smiles.
Victor looks around, "Hasn't Avery come out yet?"
"You saw Avery?" Klara asks, with a raised eyebrow. "And there wasn't any trouble?"
"Well, there was a problem with a Kangaskhan, but nothing serious," Victor looks up, slightly.
"Cinder, Cinder," Cinderace says, with its Trainer looking at it.
"Nothing we couldn't handle, huh?" Victor adds.
"I see," Klara says, with a sweat drop. "Anyway, I'm sure Avery will find his way out, eventually."
Avery and Kadabra are looking at the Max Mushroom lying on the ground.
"So… either the earlier observant was just more luck," Avery starts. "Or he's just foolish enough to leave behind a second Max Mushroom."
"Kada."
Victor tugs on his bag's strap, "I'm sure Avery will come out soon enough." He turns to Gloria. "Ready to head back to the Master Dojo?"
Gloria smiles and nods.
Victor and Gloria start to walk away, waving goodbye at Klara, who returns the wave.
"Victor faces his insecurities and, with Cinderace's help, is able to rise above them, helping Kangaskhan's baby and acquiring the Max Mushroom needed for Master Mustard's second trial. Now our heroes are on their way back, but what will they face along the way?"
"Find out, as the journey continues…"
