Chapter 5: The Wild Wild Area

The train traveled all through the night, and by morning the train was only an hour away from Wedgehurst. Ash, Goh, and Lillie were currently in the dining car, enjoying a hearty breakfast.

"We'll be in Wedgehurst in an hour! I can't wait!"

"I wonder what Professor Magnolia is like."

"According to Cerise, she's really strict. The kind of Woman who would measure the margins of your thesis to make sure they were exactly correct, and would fail you immediately if they weren't."

"Harsh."

"Well, maybe he was exaggerating a little bit..."

Unbeknownst to the three of them, Scorbunny was peaking his head around the corner. Spotting Goh, he grinned madly. This was his chance! Confidently, he strode over, ready to make his move...

Only for a food trolley to roll by and hit him, knocking him out an open window and bouncing down onto the dirt ground outside. By the time he had picked himself up, the train was rolling on into the distance, making him mad.

"Bunny!"

Realizing he had no other choice, he followed the train tracks. This had better be worth it...

Back on the train, our heroes were just finishing breakfast when their train came to a screeching halt, nearly sending them to the ground. The Conductor came on the intercom to explain.

"Attention passengers, due to a flock of Wooloo blocking the line, the train is stuck for the time being. Feel free to get out and stretch your legs, but try to be back in an hour."

Sighing, the trio got their bags and left the train, wandering around the station for a minute.

"Great, now what?"

"We could explore the region a little."

"No offense Lillie, but we're in the middle of nowhere. There's not really any places TO explore."

Ash took out his phone, scanning it for any nearby landmarks or something of the sort.

"Says here there's a vast wildlife area nearby called The Wild Area. It has all kinds of climates, and is home to a vast amount of Pokemon."

"What? That can't be true!"

"Only one way to find out!"

With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, the trio headed off for the Wild Area. They found the entrance not far from where they had stopped, and were awestruck by the sheer scale of it. As far as the eye could see was wilderness, with various different climates in the distance: A sandstorm, a snowy tundra, etc.

"Woah, so cool!"

"Come on, let's go exploring!"

"Guys, wait! We should stay close to the entrance so we can get back in time!"

"Don't worry, we've got plenty of time!"

Lillie sighed and shook her head.

"Why do I even bother sometimes?"

"Vul."

Still, even she had to admit that the wild area was a wonderful place, full of amazing Pokemon. Naturally, Goh tried to catch them all, but with no luck, though it did little to deter him.

A while later, they came to some more railroad tracks. There, blocking the line, was a Snorlax fast asleep. Besides a brief stirring, the Pokemon was perfectly still.

"Woah, that's not good."

"Maybe we should try to wake it up?"

"It couldn't hurt. Hey Snorlax, wake up!"

Snorlax did not, forcing them to change their approach. They tried moving him themselves, with predictable results. They tried having Pikachu shock him awake, but apparently that only works on Ash. Even an Icy Wind to the face curtesy of Snowy did nothing more than make it flinch before going back into deep sleep.

"Geez, and I thought my Snorlax was a deep sleeper!"

Just then, red energy began flying into Snorlax, and he started to grow. Seeing this, the three teens ducked out of the way as his body changed. By the time he had stopped growing, he was easily twice his size, but that's not all that was different. A large tree had sprouted on its stomach, and a red fog had begun to accumulate around him. Ash groaned, and plopped himself right down on the ground.

"That's it, this is officially hopeless!"

Goh, meanwhile, had taken out his phone and started taking pictures.

"Goh!"

"What? This is research!"

Before the conversation could go farther, a loud clanging noise was heard as the crossing gates closed. Everyone started to panic, that could mean only one thing and it wasn't good.

"A train is coming! If we don't move Snorlax soon, there's going to be big trouble!"

"Come on Snorlax, wake up!"

Snorlax did not, just letting out a loud snore. Lillie glanced up, and got an idea.

"Guys, look! That apple is hanging right above his mouth. Maybe if we can knock it off, he'll leave and we can clear the tracks!"

"Good thinking, Lillie! Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf to try and knock it off.

"Ivysaur!"

But despite Ivysaur's best efforts, the apple wouldn't fall.

"So much for that idea..."

"Scor Scorbunny!"

From out of nowhere, Scorbunny leapt above them, and ran up the side of the giant beast.

"Hey, its the Scorbunny from earlier!"

"I think he wants to help!"

Sure enough, Scorbunny started kicking at the fruit to try and knock it down. Although he hadn't succeeded, the branch visibly began to crack.

"Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Ivysaur resumed his attacks, and together the two weakened the branch until...

SNAP!

Snorlax, finally stirred from his slumber, smelled the apple falling towards him. Hungry as ever, jumped up just in time for the train to pass through safely underneath while Scorbunny landed safely a few feet away. Now well rested, Snorlax lumbered off to fill his stomach, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Man, that was a close one!"

"Yeah, I'll say."

Goh smiled, and rubbed Scorbunny's head.

"Thanks for the save."

"Bunny!"

"Come on guys, the train is leaving soon!"

"Oh man, I almost forgot!"

"Take care!"

But Scorbunny ran right up to him and lightly kicked Goh's leg. This got his attention, and he turned around to see what was the matter.

"Something wrong?"

"Scor Scorbunny!"

"Wait a minute Goh. I think he's telling you he wants to travel with you."

"Is...is that true?"

Scorbunny smiled and nodded. Goh couldn't help but grin like a kid in a candy store.

"Alright then. Pokeball, Go!"

Goh threw the Pokeball, watching with eager anticipation as it flew towards Scorbunny...

Only to fly right past him and land a few feet away, making everyone faceplant in disbelief. Scorbunny just shrugged, walked over and kicked the device open with his foot, letting himself be captured without a single shake. Goh smiled and eagerly picked up the Pokeball.

"Alright, I've got my very own Pokemon!"

"Way to go, Goh!"

"Alright guys, enough wasting time. If we're not back at the station in the next 10 minutes, it'll leave without us!"

"Oh, right!"

And so, with a new friend in hand, the three ran to the station, ready to uncover the mystery of giant Pokemon.