Dwayne/Hoenn Again

When Dwayne's boat arrives in the port of Littleroot Town, he disembarks and heads towards the port's entrance. As Dwayne leaves the port, someone suddenly yells out, telling him to get out of the way, and a girl comes rushing in a bicycle and crashes onto him, sending both Dwayne and the girl flying. A group of bystanders help both Trainers up to their feet, and ask both of them if they were okay, and Dwayne says he was fine, but the girl complains about the pain, her bicycle being dented, and her scraped knee. Dwayne offers a bandage and when both Trainers share eye contact, they immediately recognize each other: Dwayne realizes the girl who crashed into him was Layla, the eldest daughter of Gwendolyn and Jethro.

Dwayne recalls having met Layla when they were both young, and they became fast friends, with both of them developing a rivalry with each other. At the same time, Dwayne, at the time, also developed a crush on Layla, which she picked up, but did not share because she only viewed Dwayne as a friend, but nonetheless continued to tease him over his feelings throughout the next several years, even after Dwayne overgrew said feelings. When Dwayne asks why was Layla in such a hurry, she explains that she was headed towards Professor Birch's laboratory to obtain her starter Pokémon. Interested in seeing what she'd choose, Dwayne asks if he could accompany her, and Layla teasingly remarks if Dwayne was serious after destroying her bicycle, which leaves Dwayne feeling bad. Layla, however, laughs and says she was joking, and agrees to his offer and both of them head towards the laboratory by foot, with Layla pushing her damaged bicycle.

Once there, Birch greets both Trainers, and while not surprised to see his granddaughter, Birch was indeed shocked to see Dwayne, but nonetheless welcomes him to Hoenn. When Birch asks about her bicycle, Layla side-eyes Dwayne, but says that she had an accident, but doesn't specify the details to her grandfather, all the while Dwayne seems rather embarassed. Birch offers to leave her bicycle with him for repairs, and Layla agrees, and Birch takes both Trainers inside his laboratory. Birch then presents the Hoenn starters: The Grass-type Treecko, the Fire-type Torchic, and the Water-type Mudkip. When Birch asks Layla which one she'll choose, Layla says she already knew which Pokémon she'd get even before arriving, and picks up Torchic, saying that she wanted to start with the same Pokémon as her mother, as she wished to become just as strong as Gwendolyn is.

Birch smiles at this, and promptly gives Layla a Pokédex and six Poké Balls for her journey. Outside the laboratory, Birch asks whether Dwayne would participate in the Hoenn League, and Dwayne confirms, and Layla interjects, saying that she, too, would participate, and declares both of them rivals from this point on, and with a sassy tone, asks if she could get a kiss if she beat him at the tournament, causing Dwayne to become agitated with her teasing, and Layla laughs, saying that she would teasing her until the day she died. Subsequently, Dwayne and Layla agree to travel together to Oldale Town as both Trainers would require to register for the Hoenn League at the town's Pokémon Center, and they bid Professor Birch farewell.

As the pair continue to walk along Route 101, Dwayne prepares to run ahead, while Layla lags behind. When Dwayne asks her to hurry up, Layla says her legs were hurting, and Dwayne teases her by saying that she could more exercise. Returning the act, Layla spitefully says that her bicycle was her form of exercise, and says that her legs were probably hurting from Dwayne walking in front of her bicycle, which causes Dwayne to shut up and agree to slow down.

Finally arriving at the Pokémon Center at nightfall, Dwayne and Layla both successfully register to participate in the Hoenn League, and Dwayne begins showing Layla around the Pokémon Center. Dwayne first shows her the rooms that they get to stay in, then the Trainer lobby. Afterwards, Dwayne decides to make a call to Professor Oak to update him on his latest ventures. During the conversation though, Layla butts in, asking Oak if he remembers her, and Oak says he could never forget any of his pupils's children, and says that Layla had grown a lot since the last time they met, and asks if she already obtained her first Pokémon, and Layla shows off her Torchic, and Oak comments on how Layla chose the same Pokémon as her mother.

After the phone call ends, Dwayne and Layla call it a day and head to their bedroom, with twin beds, where they quickly fall asleep, tired from their long walk. The next morning, Dwayne and Layla set off towards Petalburg City, with Dwayne eager to earn his first Badge in Hoenn. After they arrive, the duo sit down at a park, and Dwayne expresses his desire to challenge Gwendolyn, and Layla says that she would first need to run some errands and tells Dwayne they would meet later, and bids him farewell.

Dwayne soon reaches the Petalburg Gym, steps inside, and reaches the main arena. He tries introducing himself to present a challenge, but there is initially no response. Dwayne tries again, just as a young girl walks into the room. Dwayne instantly recognizes her as Elizabeth, Layla's younger sister. Upon seeing Dwayne, Elizabeth lets out a rather loud gasp and comments that she was surprised to see him. Before Dwayne can utter a word, Elizabeth comments on his performance at the Silver Conference, and Dwayne nods, assuming that Elizabeth was impressed with his peformance, but becomes annoyed and upset when Elizabeth specifically mentions his loss against Raven in the finals. She then goes onto criticize Dwayne's performance against Raven's Cinderace, and Dwayne becomes infuriated by the young girl's sharp comments, and says that watching from the TV was easier than actually participating in the battle, and Elizabeth smugly remarks that if she was in his place, Raven wouldn't have had stood a chance, making Dwayne even more irate, who recalls why he rarely spent time with Elizabeth during his childhood: because of her sharp tongue.

Dwayne has had enough of Elizabeth's comments and orders her to call out the Gym Leader. Elizabeth sassily replies that Dwayne couldn't order her around, and smugly remarks that she wouldn't take orders from someone who lost at the Johto League, startling Dwayne, whose anger continues to grow. Dwayne then spitefully picks up Elizabeth and puts him on the side, spitefully remarking that a kid who couldn't even own a Pokémon shouldn't butt in "official Trainer business", which infuriates Elizabeth, as she and Dwayne engage in a shouting match. At that moment, Layla peers through a window and returns with two other people, Gwendolyn and Jethro. Layla, unimpressed, asks why Elizabeth was bothering Dwayne, and Elizabeth says that she wasn't doing anything, and Gwendolyn, aware of her youngest daughter's sassiness, gives Dwayne permission to give her a spanking if necessary, and Dwayne's evil grin causes Elizabeth to run away.

After everyone calms down, Dwayne exchanges pleasentries with Gwendolyn and Jethro, who remark on his growth and praise him reaching the finals of the Silver Conference. Hearing this, Elizabeth mumbles that Dwayne still lost, but Dwayne's glare of fury causes her to shut up immediately. Jethro asks to see which starter Pokémon Layla chose, and she sends out Torchic. Elizabeth is disappointed that Layla picked Torchic, and states that she would have picked Treecko, angering Torchic, who starts pecking her, much to Dwayne's amusement. Gwendolyn doesn't mind the extra company, so Dwayne decides to enjoy lunch with the family. During the meal, Dwayne asks about the rules Gwendolyn uses for her matches; Gwendolyn states that she used a three-on-three match rule. Dwayne sighs, saying that he only had two Pokémon with him, causing Elizabeth to laugh at his misfortune, but quickly shuts up after Dwayne slaps her on the back of the head. Jethro tells him that he can have his Pokémon sent to the Pokémon Center. However, Dwayne replies that he wants to start fresh and only use Pokémon he catches in Hoenn. Gwendolyn is impressed by Dwayne's ambitions and offers him an unofficial match, but Dwayne doesn't mind. Just after lunch, everyone goes back to the arena for the battle.

As the battle starts, Dwayne uses Gardevoir and Gwendoyln sends out Blaziken. Layla's Torchic marvels at the sight of its evolved form, and begins cheering for the Fire-type Pokémon. The first strike is a Moonblast from Gardevoir, but Blaziken uses his quick reflexes to easily jump away. Blaziken soon runs towards Gardevoir at high speed and scores a direct hit with Focus Punch. Dwayne then decides to confuse Blaziken by ordering Gardevoir to continuously teleport around the battlefield, but regardless, Blaziken uses his quick reflexes to foresee Gardevoir's next location and scores another hit, this time with Aura Sphere. As Gardevoir stumbles, Blaziken knocks her out with a rapid-fire Blaze Kick, giving Gwendolyn the victory.

After Dwayne makes sure that Gardevoir was okay, Gwendolyn gives the Embrace Pokémon an Oran Berry to restore her strength. Layla and the others walk into the battlefield, and Layla comments on Gardevoir's performance, and says that she was glad to see that the little Ralts that used to play with them evolved into such a graceous and beautiful Pokémon, and Gardevoir expresses her appreciation towards Layla with a warm hug. Elizabeth says that Gardevoir still lost, which earns her Gardevoir's fury, who begins charging a Moonblast to intimidate Elizabeth into silence, which causes everyone else to laugh. Layla's Torchic begins jumping up and down in excitement, and begins running around Blaziken in circles, and Jethro comments that Torchic has become inspired by Blaziken, and Layla says that she specifically picked Torchic because she to grow up as powerful as her mother, and Gwendolyn puffs her chest, saying that Layla made the right, and obvious, choice, causing Jethro and Elizabeth to simply groan at Gwendolyn's smugness.

That night, Dwayne spends the night at their house, and shares a room with the sisters, although Dwayne sleeps on the floor, which amuses Elizabeth, who sarcastically remarks that she should be careful to not "accidentally" step on Dwayne if she needed to use the bathroom, and Dwayne says that she would regret if she actually does it, and Layla simply chuckles at their bickering. The next morning, Dwayne prepares to head off, but not before Gwendolyn gifts him a Badge case. Dwayne asks Layla if she would travel with him, but Layla says she wanted to travel by herself, and asks if Dwayne felt disappointed, but Dwayne assures her that he understands, and bids her and the family goodbye as he sets out towards Rustboro City, and promises Gwendolyn to challenge her again once he became stronger.

Sometime later, a flock of Swablu and Altaria are taking shelter in a tree during a fierce storm. Lightning suddenly strikes the tree, sparking a fire, so the flock are forced to flee. However, one of the Swablu lags behind and is frightened as the tree falls. After the storm has cleared up, Dwayne finds himself lost in the Petalburg Woods. Instead of continuing through the forest, Dwayne decides to stop for lunch. After summoning Gardevoir and Dratini from their Poké Balls, both Pokémon sense something unusual, and rush into the forest to investigate, with Dwayne closely behind, where they find the singed remnants of a tree and a heavily injured Swablu lying on the ground.

Seeing how frightened Swablu is, Dwayne decides to take a gentle approach, so he approaches Swablu by crouching down. Swablu instead launches a Sing attack, making all three of them fall asleep. Then, Swablu accidentally wakes Dratini up and after a quick exchange of words, Dratini goes over to Dwayne and headbutts him to wake him up. Dwayne notices Swablu's injured wing so he gives it a spritz of Super Potion while Dratini wakes Gardevoir up with a few headbutts to the face. The headbutts prove painful and causes Gardevoir to let out a cry, alerting a local Ranger, Mr. Morita and Nuzleaf to the situation. Mr. Morita arrives on the scene and invites Dwayne over to his cabin.

Dwayne bandages up Swablu’s wing followed by a spoonful of medicine to help with its recovery. Afterwards, the Ranger offers him a cup of hot chocolate and he informs Dwayne that last night’s storm caused a lot of damage. He reveals that many baby Pokémon were separated from their parents, including this Swablu. Mr. Morita explains that flocks of Swablu and Altaria migrate through this preserve every year. Dwayne expresses their sympathy and Morita assures him that he will take good care of it and offers to tell Dwayne the best way out of the forest, but Dwayne suggests that he stay together with Swablu until they are sure that it gets better, and Mr. Morita agrees to the plan. Night falls, and Mr. Morita finds Dwayne unconscious from exhaustion and lying with Swablu. Morita wakes him up and offers to take over, but Dwayne insists that he keep on taking care of Swablu. With that, Morita hands Dwayne the medicinal supplies he'll need to care for Swablu and gives him instructions.

As Mr. Morita goes to sleep for the night, Dwayne stays awake to watch over Swablu as its rests. Several days pass and Dwayne continues to care for Swablu, who is already showing signs of getting better. Sometime later, Mr. Morita takes off Swablu's bandage and after a quick examination he declares that its wing has fully recovered, and Dwayne is thrilled, with Mr. Morita declaring that it will be able to re-join its flock soon. Then, Swablu gets excited and tries to fly, only for it to fall down. Thinking Swablu may have forgotten how to fly, Dwayne encourages Swablu, who shivers in response, and Morita suggests that Swablu is just too afraid to fly after the trauma it went through. Morita says that that kind of problem can take a long time to sort out and Dwayne fears that Swablu might not fly again.

Nevertheless, Dwayne tells Swablu he'll stay and help with its fear for as long as it takes, and Morita says he will locate the flock in the meantime. Dwayne decides on another strategy, so he wears some fake wings to teach Swablu how to fly. Swablu is rather skeptical, but Dwayne continues and demonstrates that Swablu just needs to run at full speed and then jump. Swablu tries, but it just falls head first into the ground, getting its face covered in mud. Dwayne's next plan is to put Swablu on top of a wild Beautifly and remind it of how great it is to be up in the sky. At first, Swablu is afraid, but after some encouragement, it opens its eyes and notices the great view from up high. Another day ends, and Dwayne struggles to think of another strategy to get Swablu flying. Then, Dwayne declares he'll use magic and the next day, informs Swablu that Beautifly can fly thanks to a special "magic powder", which is obviously fake. Then, Dwayne sprays some silver colored powder on the wild Beautifly, which successfully takes off into the sky thanks to the "magic powder". Swablu decides to give it a try and succeeds in taking off.

Mr. Morita suddenly emerges from the cabin and declares that he has located the flock. He promptly drives Dwayne and Swablu towards the lakeside location, but the journey is interrupted when an angry pack of Taillow attack. When Dwayne questions the Taillow's attack, Morita says they are probably still agitated from the storm and the lack of food, as the storm likely caused their food to get lost, and admits this often happens whenever a storm kicks in. Dwayne advises Swablu to fly the way to the lake but Swablu wants more of the "magic powder", and Dwayne then tells Swablu the truth of the "magic powder" and his pleas give Swablu the courage to escape to safety.

As the Taillow continue to attack them, Dwayne sends out Gardevoir and Dratini to defend them, and Gardevoir strikes some of the Taillow with Moonblast while Dratini's Twister also scores a hit with at least three of them. However, more Taillow suddenly appear from the trees, and begin overwhelming Gardevoir and Dratini. Seeing this, Swablu returns to their location and decides to join in the fight, despite Dwayne's protests. However, upon seeing Swablu's determination to protect them, Dwayne relents and orders Swablu to use Mist, and Swablu shoots out a thick white mist that engulfs all of the Taillow, who are blinded by it. Swablu flies closer to them, and Dwayne tells Swablu to use Sing, which puts all of the Taillow to sleep, allowing everyone to successfully and safely escape from the Taillow.

Dwayne, Morita, and Swablu reache the lake by sunset, only to find the flock is disappointingly not there. Dwayne turns to Swablu and suggests it join his team. Dwayne readies a Poké Ball just as Swablu's flock arrives. Swablu begins to fly towards its friends, leaving Dwayne conflicted as he suggests it go with the flock. Swablu begins flying towards its flock, but stops mid-way and turns back towards Dwayne, likewise conflicted with its feelings. Despite wanting to reunite with its flock, Swablu equally wants to stay by Dwayne's side, and after a minute of thought, Swablu sees its flock heading off towards the distance, and ultimately chooses to fly back down and lands on Dwayne's shoulder, deciding to stay with him. Dwayne holds back a tear and thanks Swablu for choosing him, but asks if it was sure, and Swablu nods, confident about its decision, and Dwayne takes out a Poké Ball, and Swablu pecks the mechanism, inserting itself inside and gets caught. Mr. Morita then drives Dwayne to the exit of the Petalburg Woods and wishes him luck on his quest, and Dwayne thanks him, before leaving the forest and reaching Route 104.

While continuing towards Route 104, Dwayne suddenly sees a bunch of Treecko running through the trees. He says that he had wanted one since he first saw one at Professor Birch's laboratory. He quickly tosses a Poké Ball, but the Treecko bats it away with its tail, before running away. Dwayne chases after them and sees what looks like a huge, odd tree up ahead. Unfortunately, he doesn't pay attention to where he's going and falls face first down a steep hill. When he looks up, he sees that the tree is right in front of him, and it's massive. It's more than twice as tall as all the other trees in the forest. Dwayne comments that it looks almost magical, but he notices that it has no leaves and looks somewhat dead. Suddenly a sharp twig lands in the ground right in front of Dwayne's face. He looks up and sees an angry-looking Treecko sitting on a branch with another twig in its hand. Dwayne challenges the Treecko to a battle. Treecko leaps into action, jumping between the branches before spitting its twig at Dwayne. Dwayne dodges, but Treecko lands next to him and delivers a powerful whack with its tail, with Dwayne recognizing the attack as Pound. Treecko taunts Dwayne, urging him to battle. Dwayne sends out Dratini, who quickly rushes towards her opponent with Headbutt, though Treecko dodges and strikes Dratini with its Pound.

Dwayne and Dratini soon find themselves surrounded by a large group of Treecko. An older Treecko attempts to talk to the one that Dwayne just battled, but is yelled at and pushed backwards. The other Treecko look pretty mad, but the old Treecko urges them not to attack. Seeing their body language, Dwayne realizes the old Treecko is saying that the tree is going to die and all the Treecko need to move to another tree. However, the other Treecko remains defiant, replying that it was born on that tree and isn't going to give up on it, no matter what. The sentiment really moves Dwayne, who agrees with Treecko's mentality. Dwayne then notices that all the Treecko are leaving except for the one that Dwayne just battled. Once the others are out of sight, that Treecko rushes off too. Instead of following it, Dwayne has a better idea, and decides to stake out in the tree.

As the sun sets, Dwayne and Dratini are still waiting at the old tree. Treecko appears carrying a leaf full of water. It carefully waters the tree before placing some dry leaves down to keep the ground from drying up again. Treecko goes off to get more water, as Dwayne wonders whether it's too late to save the tree. As darkness falls, he and Dratini start to help the Treecko water the tree. Treecko is angry at first, but it warms up to them when it realizes they just want to help. As the trio return from collecting more water, they hear a commotion and discover a bulldozer ramming all the trees, knocking the sleeping Treecko into their cage. Dwayne then sees a group of men leaving the bulldozer, and they introduce themselves as Pokémon poachers and remark the Treecko would make them very wealthy. But the Treecko that Dwayne befriended wasn't caught in the net, and now it's angry. It spits its twig at the bulldozer, but it just bounces off. Treecko leaps from the top of a tree into the bulldozer, and starts attacking the poachers. One of the poachers steps backwards and accidentally hits the button that releases the trapped Pokemon. Treecko leaps around the poachers, and hits each one with a Pound, knocking them all out cold, and saving the other Treecko.

The Treecko that Dwayne befriended makes up with the old one, but still doesn't want to give up on the tree. Everything seems to be going well until the giant tree suddenly splits in two. The Treecko try to hold it together and Dwayne gets a rope out of his backpack, but they are stopped when the sun rises, illuminating the tree beautifully. As they look on, Dwayne and the Treecko have some sort of vision of the tree's life from a seed to the majestic tree it used to be. But the imagining fades and they're only looking at a split, dead tree again, and the two halves suddenly split even more and they fall over completely. A seed rolls from the wreckage and stops at Treecko's feet. Dwayne takes this as a sign of gratitude from the tree for trying so hard to save it. But Treecko doesn't take kindly to this suggestion and hits Dwayne. He realizes that Treecko is trying to tell him it's ready to battle.

The battle begins, as Dratini uses Dragon Rage, which Treecko dodges multiple times, before finally scoring a hit. However, Treecko doesn't seem to have taken much damage. Dwayne calls for a Dragon Tail, which Treecko also dodges. However the evasion manoeuvre leaves Treecko vulnerable, and Dratini delivers a lot of damage with a Twister. Treecko hits the ground, and Dwayne throws a Poké Ball, but Treecko easily breaks out, impressing Dwayne with its endurance. Treecko then uses Leer to decrease Dratini's defenses, but Dratini quickly uses Headbutt, but Treecko dodges and scores a direct hit with Pound, leaving Dratini with great damage.

As Dratini struggles to regain her footing, Treecko taunts her, signaling for her to get up, but as Dratini continues to struggle, Treecko merely shakes its head in a dissapointed manner, and this triggers Dratini to force herself back up, and she promptly evolves into Dragonair. Treecko smiles at this, and charges towards Dragonair, who showcases having learned Agility, allowing her to effortlessly dodge Treecko's attacks. As Treecko struggles with Dragonair's newfound speed, Dragonair wraps herself around Treecko with Wrap, squeezing him before leaping upwards and slamming Treecko on the ground with great force. As Treecko lays unconscious, Dwayne throws a Poké Ball and successfully captures the Treecko. Dwayne thanks Dragonair for her effort, and praises her for her evolution, and recalls her for a well-earned rest.

Dwayne calls Treecko out of its Poké Ball, and the old Treecko hands it the seed from the dead tree. Treecko promptly plants it, before turning to Dwayne and after staring at each other in complete silence for a few seconds, Dwayne crouches down and offers Treecko a fist bump, which it accepts, and Dwayne says that they would grow stronger together, and Treecko smiles in response, hoping to prove its worth to Dwayne. Dwayne and Treecko then depart as the other Treecko wave them goodbye.

Arriving at the urban center of Rinshin Town, Dwayne begins doing some sightseeing and runs into Layla, who says she was looking for some Pokémon, and asks if Dwayne wanted to join her, which he accepts. After eating a burger, Dwayne and Layla head off to the alleyways in the city, where they peer in looking for Pokémon and spot a Shroomish, who doesn't look too happy. Layla wants to feed it and make friends with it, so Dwayne hands her some Pokémon food. Shroomish is suspicious and uses Stun Spore causing Dwayne and Layla to retreat. Afterwards, Dwayne takes out some more Pokémon food and takes a piece to Shroomish that it's safe to eat, trying his best to hide the fact that the Pokémon food tasted awful for a human. Shroomish tries the food and loves it. Dwayne and Layla are surprised because Shroomish is in the city instead of the forest, where it normally would be. They think it might have been separated from its Trainer and maybe they should take it to a Pokémon Center. Dwayne takes out a handkerchief and ties it around the top of Shroomish's head, as a gift. Shroomish is very happy with this, and Dwayne picks up Shroomish and they head off.

While passing by an old mansion, Dwayne and Layla stop in front of the manor house after noticing Shroomish staring intently at it. Shroomish, still in Dwayne's arms, gets very distressed and runs off. Dwayne and Layla follow it as Shroomish goes into the mansion through a broken window. Dwayne and Layla follow after Shroomish, but they lose track of and instead find a man standing outside the lodge. The man, Alex, approaches the duo ordering them to move on because of the demolition works. Dwayne explains that they were just following a Shroomish, but Alex refutes the claim entirely. He informs them that the Green Lodge belonged to his grandfather, and he used to stay over and play with the resident Shroomish as a child. Alex claims the Shroomish have since disappeared because of Rinshin Town’s growing city blocks and his grandfather's passing. Alex explains that he is simply on site to check on the demolition’s progress, but strange occurrences have been hampering efforts. Dwayne is keen to hear more details, but Alex replies that it’s just rumors. Dwayne and Layla again affirm their story, so Alex decides he'll have to go inside and see for himself and the duo follow him.

Inside, they find Shroomish shivering by one of the old fireplaces. Dwayne approaches to attend to his friend when two other Shroomish emerge, also looking frightened. Dwayne realizes that they must be upset because they'll have no home when the mansion is torn down. Not wanting to scare them further, the humans decide to back off to prevent irritating the Shroomish further. Outside, Alex and the others affirm that the strange footprints and odd occurrence are because of the large number of Shroomish that call the Green Lodge home. Dwayne adds that the Shroomish are in pain, and he informs Alex that the Shroomish want just want to play with him like the old days. Alex admits that he shares their sentiments. Alex formally apologizes to Shroomish, but he admits that the demolition must progress. Dwayne asks if there was really no other way to keep the Green Lodge standing, but Alex remarks that the structure was too old, and could prove dangerous if it was kept standing. The Shroomish that Dwayne found earlier approaches them and offers Dwayne and Layla an Oran Berry, a proof of its trust towards them.

Afterwards, Layla asks about the fate of the Green Lodge and Alex affirms that the mansion will still have to be demolished, but adds that he'll replant the whole area full of trees so there will be a forest like there was before, and the Shroomish agree enthusiastically. As Dwayne and Layla prepare to leave, the Shroomish that they helped earlier comes in running and blocks their path. Dwayne realizes that the Shroomish wants to join him, and Shroomish nods, while Layla pouts that Shroomish was choosing Dwayne over her. Dwayne throws a Poké Ball and Shroomish gets captured.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Dwayne and Layla comment on that day's situation, and Layla again complains that she couldn't catch a single Pokémon since arriving in town. To cheer her up, Dwayne offers to battle her, and Layla accepts. At the Pokémon Center's battlefield, Dwayne and Layla agree to a one-on-one match, and Dwayne chooses his newly-caught Shroomish while Layla chooses her Torchic. The battle starts when Dwayne orders Shroomish to use Seed Bomb, but Torchic dodges and uses Ember, but Shroomish easily dodges. Shroomish then uses Sunny Day, creating a harsh sunlight, and Layla urges Torchic to perform better, and Dwayne notices that Torchic was having trouble keeping up with Layla's demands. Layla then orders Torchic to use Peck, but Shroomish dodges again.

Layla pushes Torchic to do better, and orders him to use Quick Attack, but Shroomish continuously dodges, and finishes off Torchic with a devastating Solar Beam. Layla complains about the loss, and says that she needed to train up Torchic better because his performance was underwhelming, and Torchic lowers his head, saddened by Layla's comments. Dwayne cuts her off, scolding her for not realizing that Torchic was pushing himself beyond his limits to keep up with her demands. Dwayne then walks over to Torchic and pats his head, assuring him that Torchic did great, and Torchic instantly cheers up and gently pecks him as a sign of affection. However, Shroomish seems unimpressed with Dwayne's methods, and seemingly agrees with Layla's tough love treatment, something that Dwayne disapproves. Realizing that both Pokémon preferred the others's training style, Dwayne offers a trade, but Layla adamantly refuses, saying that she needed Torchic to become just like her mother, but Dwayne cuts her off again, angrily exclaiming that because of her desire to take after her mother, she was ignoring Torchic's nature, because Torchic preferred being treated with care instead of being pushed with pressure.

Layla says that she wanted to become just like her mother, and Dwayne says that Gwendolyn was indeed one of the toughest Trainers in Hoenn, but also says that Gwendolyn nevertheless treated her Pokémon with care, and asks Layla if she'd ever seen her mother pressure her Pokémon during battle, and Layla realizes that Dwayne was right; not once did she ever see Gwendolyn push her Pokémon beyond their limits. Dwayne then says that she can still become as strong as her mother, but there was no need to rely on the same Pokémon that Gwendolyn owns, and urges Layla to forge her own path instead of following her mother's shadow. Layla finally agrees with Dwayne's sentiment, and apologizes to Torchic, who forgives her, aware that Layla wasn't pushing him out of malice. Shroomish, while understanding, still disagrees with Dwayne's more calm and patient training methods, and both Trainers agree to the trade.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Dwayne and Layla prepare for the trade, and each bid their goodbyes to their original Pokémon, before subsequently starting the trade on the trading machine. After a few seconds, both Pokémon are traded, with Dwayne receiving Torchic and Layla receiving Shroomish. Dwayne sends out Torchic while Layla sends out Shroomish, and both Pokémon immediately prove more compatible with their new Trainers. Outside the Pokémon Center, Dwayne and Layla promise to battle each other the next time they meet, and both bid farewell to each other, and their original Pokémon before heading their separate ways.

Sometime later, Dwayne arrives in Rustboro City and gazes over the town through its observation tower. Then, Dwayne notices a Poliwag cowering under a bench. When he manages to get Poliwag to warm up to him, Dwayne notices a strange arm-band on the end of its tail. Soon, Dwayne is met by a local teacher named Roxanne, who has arrived with her Beginners' Class, a group of students on a field trip. She reveals that the Poliwag belongs to one of her students, Kenny, who is afraid of touching Pokémon. Another student, Tommy begins picking on Kenny for losing Poliwag. Just then, Dwayne hears Elizabeth's voice, who defends Kenny against Tommy. When Dwayne calls out to Elizabeth, she greets him, albeit also sarcastically remarking that she knew he would eventually have to return to Trainers' School because of his awful training, which irritates Dwayne. Roxanne quickly settles her students before ordering them back to the Pokémon Trainers' School. Dwayne then tells Elizabeth that he was there to challenge the Rustboro Gym, and Roxanne is pleasantly surprised to learn that Dwayne is a Gym challenger, admitting that the Rustboro Gym is next door to the academy. With that, Dwayne decides a detour to the school is in order.

At the Trainer's School, the headmaster takes Dwayne through the academy, including a Pokémon Contest class, a Doctor's class taught jointly by a teacher and a Nurse Joy, as well as a battling class that draws Dwayne's interest. When he enters Roxanne's class, Dwayne is greeted by Professor Oak, in the middle of a lecture by videophone. When Professor Oak asks about whether he or Roxanne had won the Gym Battle, Dwayne learns that Roxanne is also the Rustboro Gym Leader. As the headmaster explains, Roxanne is herself an alumnus of the Trainer's School, and quickly earned the title due to her prodigy skills. Roxanne, due to having to teach the Beginner's Class, asks Dwayne to delay their battle for two days, for which Dwayne accepts.

Seeing Dwayne's connection to Professor Oak, Tommy begins to quiz him about attacks. Dwayne answers both questions correctly, quickly infuriating Tommy. Roxanne takes the opportunity to speak to Tommy, adding that the students are not supposed to compete, instead they should try to learn together. The principal urges Tommy to abide by the spirit of the school's motto. Tommy then says whether Dwayne was even a good Trainer, and Dwayne remarks that he competed in both the Indigo and Johto Leagues, which impresses the other students, although Elizabeth sassily remarks that he lost on both occasions. Tommy then laughs and says that Dwayne was utterly pathetic if he couldn't win the League, and this triggers Elizabeth into fiercely defending him, lashing out at Tommy for insulting Dwayne, and remarks that Tommy himself wouldn't make it past the preliminaries, and says that Dwayne reached the finals of the Johto League. Dwayne becomes both surprised and confused at Elizabeth defending him with such ferocity, always believing that she thought the same as Tommy.

The next day at the academy, Dwayne is introduced to Anita, another Beginner Class student. As he learns, Anita and Kenny aren’t into Pokémon, and that their parents make them attend. Meanwhile, Tommy enters to try to bully Elizabeth for insulting him the other day, but Anita quickly defends Elizabeth, and Tommy walks off. As Anita and Elizabeth talk, Anita admits having taken a liking to Dwayne after he correctly answered all of Tommy's questions the other day, and Elizabeth becomes flustered, saying that Anita was easily-impressed. Later, after class has started, the kids are interacting with the academy's Roxanne asks Dwayne to be her guest speakers, while allowing the students a chance to interact with his own Pokémon. Dwayne notices Kenny standing towards the back of the classroom, so he tries to persuade him to pet Torchic in an attempt to ease his nerves. However, Tommy having "accidentally" stepped on Poliwag's tail sparks another fight between him and Elizabeth. Elizabeth accuses Tommy of deliberately stepping on Poliwag's tail, but he refutes it. Tommy pokes his tongue out at Elizabeth, immediately antagonizing her.

Later on, during the Beginner's Class battle practice, Tommy and Elizabeth square off. Roxanne offers six Poké Balls for a one-on-one battle between the two. When the battle begins, Tommy has Magby while Elizabeth has Poliwag, putting Elizabeth with the type advantage. As Elizabeth is contemplating his battle options, Tommy makes the first move with a Flamethrower attack. Elizabeth counters with Water Sport, weaking any and all Fire-type attacks. When Tommy tries another Flamethrower, Elizabeth has Poliwag use Belly Drum. With its Attack power increased to the maximum, Elizabeth waits for Tommy to make another move, and Magby uses Flamethrower again, Elizabeth orders Poliwag to dodge and use Pound, which instantly knocks out Magby, giving Elizabeth the win.

Tommy recalls Magby and blames it for the loss, but Roxanne cuts him off and scolds him for placing the blame upon the Pokémon. Dwayne also joins in and says that Tommy would make an awful Trainer if he always blamed his Pokémon for any and all losses, and says that even when losing, a Trainer should assure their Pokémon that they did their best, otherwise the Pokémon would eventually resent them. This finally seems to resonate with Tommy, who mumbles an apology while looking down in shame. Roxanne says that Tommy would have a lot to learn, but says she believed in him, and Tommy thanks her for the reassurance. Elizabeth then walks over and offers him a handshake, saying despite their differences, she enjoyed their battle. Tommy accepts the handshake and says she indeed battled well. Roxanne then turns to Dwayne and says that their battle would take place tomorrow and urges him to train hard.

The next day, Dwayne prepares for his Gym battle, and when arriving at the Gym, Dwayne is surprised to see Elizabeth standing at the entrance. Elizabeth explains that Roxanne allowed her and the other students to spectate the battle, since it could prove a good learning experience for them, and Dwayne agrees with this. Entering the Gym, both Dwayne and Elizabeth remark on how different it was compared to the Petalburg Gym. After exchanging more formalities, including allowing the battle to be filmed for the Pokémon Trainers' School, Dwayne and Roxanne begin their two-on-two Gym battle. Elizabeth is also excited because this will be the first Gym match she has seen as her mother didn't allow either of her children to watch her battles since she believed that they would distract the challenger.

Roxanne leads off with Geodude, while Dwayne sends out Treecko. Though Treecko has the type advantage, Dwayne remembers that Treecko does not know any Grass-type attacks, rendering the point moot. Dwayne starts with Treecko using Quick Attack, which Geodude replies with a Mega Punch, sending Treecko flying. Treecko recovers from the fall and it hits back with a midair Pound, which makes its mark, but does not knock it out. Geodude recovers with Rollout, and Treecko retaliates with Leer, trying to lower Geodude's Defenses, which it does, although Geodude keeps rolling towards him. As Geodude gets closer, Dwayne tells Treecko to use Slam, but Geodude lands a direct hit before Treecko could use the attack, which knocks him out.

Dwayne decides to send in Torchic, surprising the senior students and Roxanne. Undeterred, Torchic starts by destroying the rock field with Ember. Though Ember has destroyed the field, he has yet to damage Geodude. Roxanne notes that it allows Geodude greater maneuverability, and better use of Rock Throw. Torchic dodges the rocks with Quick Attack, but takes a Mega Punch. When Roxanne tries to use Rollout to finish Torchic off, though, Geodude gets stuck on the softer battlefield, making an opening for Torchic to get close and get the knockout with Low Kick. Roxanne admits that Dwayne has talent, as Geodude had never been knocked out by a Fire-type Pokémon before, and Dwayne admits having chosen Torchic simply for his usage of Low Kick, since Fighting-type attacks were strong against Rock-types.

Roxanne calls out her Nosepass. Torchic starts off with Ember, which makes its mark, but when Ember tries to use it again, it misses. Nosepass responds with a Rock Tomb, trapping Torchic in boulders. However, Torchic breaks free with Peck. Nosepass then uses Sandstorm, making Torchic unable to find Nosepass, and allowing Nosepass to pin Torchic to the battlefield. Torchic soon escapes, and manages to evade another Rock Tomb with a Quick Attack. Torchic runs circles around Nosepass in an attempt to disorient it, which allows another shot with Ember. Nosepass tries to finish off Torchic with Zap Cannon, but Torchic dodges in time.

Anticipating another Ember, Nosepass uses Zap Cannon again, to which Dwayne tells Torchic to run towards the attack, which leaves both Roxanne and the students confused. As the attack nears Torchic, Dwayne orders him to jump and ride the Zap Cannon, and Torchic climbs atop of the sphere and begins riding like a surfboard, and redirects it towards Nosepass after using his claws to turn, scoring a direct hit, which leaves Nosepass paralyzed. Roxanne expresses pure shock at this strategy, and on the stands, Elizabeth lets out a loud cheer, urging Dwayne to end the battle, and Dwayne does so by commanding a Low Kick, and Nosepass gets sent crashing onto the wall, knocked out from the attack.

The referee calls off the battle and declares Dwayne and Torchic as the winners. Dwayne and Torchic celebrate with a high-five (with Torchic using his feet for the act), and just as Dwayne praises Torchic for his performance, Torchic suddenly evolves into Combusken. Dwayne becomes surprised as how quickly Torchic evolved, and Roxanne explains that Torchic was already pretty talented, and his experience was already advanced enough to evolve. Outside the Gym, Roxanne gives Dwayne the Stone Badge and says that she had never seen a Trainer like Dwayne before, commenting on his unorthodox strategy by using Nosepass's Zap Cannon as a surfboard, and Dwayne admits not knowing whether it would work or not, and Roxanne smiles at this, saying that Trainers sometimes needed to take risks during their battles. Elizabeth congratulates Dwayne on his victory, and Tommy approaches him, apologizing for his comments the previous day, and Dwayne forgives him. Then, Dwayne bids Roxanne, Elizabeth, and the other students goodbye as he departs from the Gym.

After healing his Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, Dwayne heads towards the nearby port, where he takes a boat directly towards Dewford Town for his next Gym battle. Upon arrival, Dwayne immediately heads towards the Dewford Gym and challenges Brawly, the Gym Leader, who accepts his challenge. Dwayne sends out Combusken as his first Pokémon and Brawly counters with Machop. Dwayne tells Combusken to use Double Kick, hitting Machop. Dwayne has Combusken use several Fire Punches, all of them hitting Machop. Dwayne wonders how Machop can still look so strong after getting hit so many times. When Dwayne calls for a Quick Attack, Brawly finally orders a move, Cross Chop, hitting Combusken square on and knocking it out.

Dwayne sends out Treecko. He tells Treecko to use Pound continuously, but none of the attacks land as Machop continues to roll to evade. Machop stumbles forward and is beginning to show signs of exhaustion, so Dwayne orders a Quick Attack. While Machop evades the attack, Treecko follows up with a Pound, and the attack from behind knocks Machop out. Dwayne declares that now it’s a one-on-one match, and Brawly admits that things are starting to get interesting. Brawly sends Makuhita out next. Dwayne has Treecko start things off with a Pound attack, but Makuhita rolls to evade. Treecko continues to use Pound, though they all fail to hit their mark. Dwayne is becoming increasingly frustrated, and Treecko suddenly collapses to his knees as he attempts yet another Pound attack. He catches his breath for a moment before launching into a Quick Attack. Makuhita counters with Vital Throw, slamming Treecko to the ground. He then has Makuhita use Arm Thrust and everybody thinks Treecko is done when it gets back up, barely. Dwayne then orders Pound again and Makuhita counters with Seismic Toss. Treecko manages to stumble to its feet when Makuhita evolves into Hariyama. Brawly tells Dwayne that Treecko has reached its limits and Dwayne agrees, but Treecko refuses to throw in the towel, and convinces Dwayne to let him keep battling, and Dwayne reluctantly agrees. Dwayne has Treecko use Pound again, but Hariyama blocks it and uses Knock Off, slamming Treecko into the wall and knocking it out. The referee officially calls the match, announcing that Brawly is the victor. Brawly commends Dwayne on his effort before recommending that he get Treecko to a Pokémon Center.

At the Center, Treecko lies bruised and exhausted in a recovery bed. Nurse Joy informs Dwayne that Treecko will be physically okay after some rest, but states that Dwayne should not force a Pokémon to overextend itself in future battles, and Dwayne says that Treecko wanted to keep battling, and he didn't want to disappoint Treecko by giving up, and Nurse Joy states that while commendable that Dwayne cared about his Pokémon's feelings, he nonetheless needed to think about his Pokémon's well-being, and sometimes, ignore his Pokémon's feelings to preserve their health, and Dwayne agrees with Joy's sentiment.

After Treecko heals up, Dwayne takes him to clear their heads during an evening beach stroll. The pair stumble across Brawly surfing with Hariyama, helping it get used to its larger form. As Brawly and Hariyama walk ashore, Dwayne approaches them. Brawly asks about Treecko and Treecko himself walks up and shows that he was fine. Brawly says that he would await for Dwayne's return, but urges him to train before doing so, and Dwayne agrees and thanks Brawly for his words of encouragement, and Brawly heads off with Hariyama back into the sea to surf again.

As the morning sun radiates over Dewford Town, Dwayne declares it is a perfect day for a lot of training in preparation for his rematch against Brawly. He releases his Combusken and Treecko, and they begin to meditate on the shoreline. Dwayne starts to explain to his Pokémon the importance of meditating, and for them to think about winning their upcoming rematch. A large wave approaches the shore. Combusken begins to freak out, but Dwayne tells him to keep meditating, because if he can learn how to sense the waves, they may be able to beat Brawly and his surfing techniques. Combusken shuts his eyes and continues to meditate as Dwayne listens intently. As wave grows larger and nearer, Dwayne orders them all to get out of the way. However, the wave proves too quick, leaving Dwayne and his Pokémon soaked, and Combusken freaks out again, disliking water due to his status as a Fire-type. Dwayne and his Pokémon return to their practice. This time they all get up in time, except for Treecko who doesn't open his eyes in time.

Suddenly, they all notice that their tent is walking away. Dwayne gives chase and the menace soon crashes into a tree and it begins to flee underground. Dwayne tells Dragonair to stop it with Wrap, but as Dragonair wraps herself around the creature, she is pulled along. Treecko grabs on to help, but it is also dragged forward. Dwayne, Gardevoir, Swablu, and Combusken all grab the thread and start to heave, but the creature drags them along the beach. It soon retreats to the water, causing everyone to fall in. Once Dwayne's clothes are hung up to dry, he stands on the beach covered in sand. He inspects the damaged tent and the ruined rice balls that litter the beach, wondering what could have done such a thing and considers that a Diglett, a Krabby, or an Aron might be the culprit. Seeing how strong the mysterious Pokémon was, Dwayne declares that he wants to catch it.

That night, Dwayne and his Pokémon sit by some bushes and wait for the mysterious creature to take their bait. Dwayne then suddenly hears something behind him, but it is too late. The creature smashes into Dwayne and his Pokémon, sending them all flying onto the beach. It continues its pursuit, prompting them to gives chase. Dwayne tells Combusken to use Fire Spin. The attack hits, but the menace quickly disappears underground and without a trace. The following morning, Dwayne is slumped against the tent in exhaustion, but still keen to find out what the mysterious creature is. Dwayne then remembers that he saw a red "horn" protrude from the sand after it was hit by Combusken's earlier attack. Dwayne then heads back to the beach and has Combusken make several huge holes in the sand with Dig.

That night, Dwayne waits in the bushes again while watching the Pokémon food. Dwayne alerts his Pokémon as four large bunches of seaweed emerge from the water. They walk up and begin to eat the Pokémon food. Dwayne comments on how the plan is working and sets some more food on a nearby rock. One of the seaweed bunches spies this and they head towards the new food, only to fall into a hole. Dwayne approaches, but the creature suddenly emerges from the hole and smashes into him, sending Dwayne flying back but Gardevoir catches him. The creature is revealed to be a Corphish.

Dwayne scans it with the Pokédex, and the Pokédex notes its territorial behavior is a classic trait of Corphish. Dwayne reiterates his desire to catch Corphish, fully aware of its incredible speed and power. He sends in Combusken as Corphish gets up. Combusken starts with Fire Spin, but Corphish dodges and uses Bubble Beam. It then burrows into the sand, leaving Combusken confused. Corphish soon emerges, sending Combusken flying into the air with Crabhammer. As he descends, Combusken tries to use Quick Attack, but Corphish catches him with its pincers and chucks him at Dwayn, who remarks that this Corphish is stronger than anticipated, and that he has a challenge on his hands. Dwayne then calls on Treecko for assistance. Dwayne tells Treecko to meditate, and he closes his eyes and stands there. The sun begins to rise and Corphish becomes impatient. It uses Bubble Beam, but Dwayne tells Treecko to hit them away. It uses Pound to break through the attack. Corphish begins to steam and rushes in for a Crabhammer, but Treecko lashes it with a Quick Attack, sending Corphish flying. Treecko follows up with Pound and Corphish lands on the ground. Dwayne instantly throws a Poké Ball, officially catching Corphish. Dwayne calls Corphish out and kneels down to introduce himself. Corphish smiles and shakes his hand, but ends up tossing Dwayne in the process.

The next day, Dwayne and his Pokémon stand on the beach waiting for the next wave to wash ashore. The huge surge soon makes landfall, though Dwayne and the Pokémon all run from it in time and become glad to see their training finally paying off. Dwayne then decides to take a break call upon his Pokémon for lunch. Dwayne and his Pokémon eat, but suddenly, a girl comes towards them, surfing. She leaps off her surfboard and introduces herself as Josie, the Battle Girl, Brawly's top student and girlfriend. She challenges Dwayne to a fight, but Dwayne declines, saying he wants to eat first. Josie gets mad at this, but then her belly growls, and she collapses in embarrassment. Dwayne invites her to eat with him, and Josie eagerly takes a seat on the table and digs in.

Later, Dwayne and Josie both finish their meals at the same time before getting into an argument. Josie declares that she learned of Dwayne from Brawly, and she was furious to learn that he considered the Dwayne a better Trainer. Dwayne and Josie are finally ready to begin their battle. Dwayne chooses to fight with Corphish while Josie sends out a Sableye, which Dwayne finds it weird, because as Brawly's student, Josie should specialize in Fighting-types. Dwayne has Corphish use Crabhammer and Sableye uses Detect to dodge. Josie then calls for a Power Gem, though Corphish manoeuvres himself out of the way, and dodges a follow-up Shadow Claw. Corphish prepares to land a Vise Grip when Brawly arrives on the scene. Josie is particularly nervous to see Brawly and recalls her Sableye. Brawly informs everyone that a hurricane is due to hit the area and calls for them to find a safer spot to evacuate to. Brawly turns his attention to Josie, and as Dwayne is about to explain the situation, Josie covers his mouth and drags him off.

Dwayne, Brawly and Josie are hurrying off to get out of the storm when they see three Seedot and three Shroomish, which they invite to seek refuge in a nearby cave. Brawly leads everyone up the side of a steep cliff. Josie is becoming increasingly frightened by the height, so Dwayne suggests everyone hold hands. As everyone grabs a hand, Josie refuses to grab Brawly's hand, blushing. Dwayne queries if Shauna is actually Josie's girlfriend, and the odd statement leaves Brawly baffled. Josie finally reveals the truth, that she hopes to be Josie's girlfriend one day and that she isn’t his apprentice at all, but merely a Trainer whom Brawly had previously defeated. Brawly calls for everyone to focus on the evacuation effort and he’ll discuss Josie's lies later. As Josie grabs Brawly's hand, a rock above them splits and starts to fall. Brawly sends out Hariyama, who blocks the rock.

Everyone reaches the cave and shelter inside, with a warm fire and some wild Pokémon. Everybody except Josie are sitting around the fire, talking. Dwayne's attention turns to Josie, and Brawly explains that she had previously challenged him, but was soundly defeated because she was yet to make a connection with her Pokémon, and says that ever since then, Josie continued to visit him, apparently to support him. Brawly convinces Josie to come over and sit with them. The following day, Dwayne walks outside and announces to everyone that the storm is over.

Josie is keen to battle against Dwayne, and he agrees to finish their match. Josie makes the first move, with her Sableye preparing to land a Knock Off. Dwayne orders Corphish to use Iron Defense, protecting himself from Sableye's attack, and retaliates with Crabhammer. However, Sableye surprisingly evades the attack and uses Power Gem, which Corphish takes head-on without significant damage. Dwayne orders a follow-up Bubble Beam, but Sableye leaps to the left. Dwayne urges Corphish to stay put as Sableye rushes in for a Shadow Claw. Corphish makes a sudden leap before knocking Sableye out with a direct Crabhammer. Brawly comments that Dwayne has improved since their last battle and tells Josie that he would like to mentor her. Dwayne tells Brawly that he is ready for their rematch. Brawly agrees and tells Dwayne that he wants to battle somewhere different; his practice field. He escorts them over to an island and they watch as the ocean splits, revealing a connecting stone path. Dwayne is determined to be victorious as his battle for the Knuckle Badge is about to begin.

Brawly shows Dwayne his sparring area, which has a plethora of machines that are capable of training many different kinds of Pokémon. They then make their way to the battlefield, which is a gigantic rectangular slate surrounded by a narrow moat littered with stalagmites. On the battlefield itself are several gaping holes, each a passageway for a geyser of its own; in the center, there is a painted circle to warn challengers of such occurrences. The room is lit brightly by six suspending spotlights attached at different points on the cave walls. Josie, acting as the referee, tells the two combatants that this is a two-on-two Pokémon battle, and only the challenger is allowed to substitute.

Brawly wastes no time and sends out his Machop while Dwayne calls out Treecko, whom shakes his tail readily at the opposing Pokémon. Machop begins with a speedy Karate Chop, which slices through a nearby stalagmite as Treecko nimbly dodges the attack, landing nearby on another rock formation. Machop attempts another Karate Chop attack, but Treecko evades it once more, leaping from rock-to-rock as easily as if they were the familiar trees of home. Machop becomes annoyed and sends three more Karate Chop attacks at Treecko, only to be easily avoided by the small Wood Gecko Pokémon again and again. Brawly orders Machop to use Cross Chop, but the move fails, leaving it vulnerable. Treecko uses the opportunity to smash into it with a Quick Attack, sending it flying backwards into the battlefield. Just when Dwayne thought the opposing Pokémon was done for, Brawly reminds him about the geysers and grins confidently. The ground begins to rumble and Machop readies another Cross Chop, positioning itself over one of the holes. A jet of water shoots up and propels the Pokémon at Treecko, but just before the impact, Dwayne recalls Treecko.

His next Pokémon to go is Corphish, who, with a combination of Bubble Beam and two Crabhammers, knocks Machop out of the battle. Next up is Brawly's formidable Hariyama. Immediately, it springs into action with several Arm Thrusts. Dwayne quickly tells Corphish to use Iron Defense, in hopes that the bigger Pokémon will get tired as it keeps up the onslaught. This theory is quickly proven wrong, as Hariyama doesn't slow down in the slightest, and Dwayne instead orders Corphish to jump into the water. Hariyama follows, landing on a sturdy flat rock in the moat as it began the search for its foe. Dwayne knows Hariyama is a good surfer, but it's too big and heavy to move easily through the water like Corphish. Corphish quickly springs from the water, smacks Hariyama with a Crabhammer attack, and retreats back into the depths. Brawly, seeing this as a potential problem, orders his Pokémon to use Arm Thrust at the water, which brings Corphish back up. It then grabs the crustacean and swirled into a Seismic Toss, thrusting it into the hard rock below and knocking it out.

Dwayne recalls Corphish thanking it for battling. He then takes out Treecko's Poké Ball and right before sending it out, he remembers they lost to Brawly and his Hariyama due to his recklessness. This time they won't lose against them. Dwayne calls out Treecko to the plate who is ready for a rematch against Hariyama. Hariyama starts the battle by quickly rushing forward with an Arm Thrust. Treecko dodges it and delivers a strong Pound to Hariyama's right leg before jumping back to evade another Arm Thrust. As Hariyama keeps up the offensive with several more Arm Thrusts, Treecko manages to dodge each one, landing a few more Pound attacks on Hariyama's legs while carefully keeping its distance. Brawly orders his Pokémon to settle it with Vital Throw, but the pain shooting through its legs slows it down, and the attack misses Treecko by mere inches.

At this point, both Pokémon are exhausted. Dwayne picks up on the sudden rumbling of water beneath them and announces that this will be the deciding point in the match. Brawly agrees, and both of their Pokémon position themselves over separate parallel holes, awaiting the right moment. As the geysers spring forth and propel them at one another, Hariyama readies its Knock Off attack while Treecko spins in preparation for Pound. Both attacks make contact and the two pass each other, landing on opposite sides of the battlefield. Each spectator waits in agonizing anticipation as neither of the Pokémon move a muscle. After a long moment of silence, Hariyama falls unconscious and Josie declares Dwayne the winner of the match. Dwayne cheers and praises Treecko, and Treecko simply closes his eyes, proud of himself. Outside, just as the sun set on the horizon, Dwayne receives his Knuckle Badge from Brawly; his proof of winning his second Gym match was now shining in his hands, and he declared it to the sky. Brawly tells him that if he always keeps his focus and keeps on striving with a cool head, he'll be a force to reckon with in the Hoenn League. Josie then interjects, saying that under Brawly's training, she would crush him at the Hoenn League, and confirms that she was also challenging Gyms to compete in the tournament, and promises to defeat him at the tournament. With this, Dwayne bids both Josie and Brawly goodbye as he departs from the beach.

Dwayne then embarks on a boat straight towards Slateport City, where he learns that the city didn't have a Gym. Nurse Joy informs him that his next location should be Mauville City, and Dwayne thanks her for the information. Dwayne decides to begin training for his next Gym battle. Near the port, Dwayne trains with his Pokémon when he notices a watermelon floating in the water and promptly grabs it. Dwayne experimentally taps it before affirming that it is good. He slices the watermelon and shares it with his Pokémon. Dwayne spits out the seeds while eating, leading Treecko begin imitating him. Remembering that Treecko was yet to learn a Grass-type attack, Dwayne asks Treecko to practice Bullet Seed with the watermelon's seeds, since the process was pretty much the same. Dwayne demonstrates how to spit the seeds of the watermelon several times. Eventually, a small glowing ball of energy forms in Treecko's throat, but Treecko ultimately fails to perform the act.

Just then, Dwayne notices someone approaching him, and an older girl says that she was watching him train with Treecko, and says she was impressed that Dwayne was willing to become physically involved with his Pokémon's training, exclaiming that such an act was quite rare. Dwayne thanks her and introduces himself, and the girl also introduces herself, revealing her name to be Jannette. Jannette explains that she was impressed with his desire to help his Pokémon become stronger and offers him a helping hand, to which Dwayne accepts. Jannette offers a Double Battle to help his Treecko grow stronger, to which Dwayne eagerly accepts.

Dwayne chooses Treecko and Swablu while Jannette chooses her Grovyle and Torkoal. Dwayne commands Treecko to use Pound against Grovyle, and Swablu to use Cotton Guard to increase her Defense. On Jannette's orders, Grovyle dodges and fires a Bullet Seed to neutralize Treecko's attack. Then, Jannette commands Grovyle to fire Bullet Seed on Treecko, and Torkoal to use Flamethrower on Swablu. Dwayne counters this by commanding Swablu to use Mist while Treecko hides within it. Jannette momentarily compliments Dwayne's strategy, and Dwayne orders that Treecko use Quick Attack on Grovyle and Swablu hit Torkoal with Fury Attack. Jannette has Grovyle dodge Treecko's advance and it lashes Swablu with a Leaf Blade. Shortly after, Jannette commands Grovyle to use Bullet Seed and for Torkoal to use Flamethrower. Equally quickly, Dwayne counters by commanding Swablu to use Mist and Treecko to be hide himself within it. The two miss, and Jannette again praises Dwayne's strategy, but says that it has run its course.

Dwayne commands Treecko and Swablu to attack, but Grovyle again dodges and uses Leaf Blade on Swablu. Jannette then tells Torkoal to use Body Slam and for Grovyle to use Bullet Seed. By this command, Grovyle and Torkoal rush forward to attack, and again Dwayne tells Swablu to use Mist and Treecko to be hide within it. However, Jannette quickly orders Torkoal to switch to Rapid Spin, and the spinning causes the Mist to dissipate. With this protection negated, Grovyle leaps into the air and hits Treecko with a direct Bullet Seed. Dwayne asks Treecko if he can still keep going, and, with some exhaustion, Treecko manages to stand. Equally exhausted, Swablu also struggles. Dwayne has Treecko grab a hold of Swablu's right wing, and Swablu propels him forward and Treecko increases his velocity with a Quick Attack and it slams directly into Grovyle, while Swablu batters Torkoal with Fury Attack. Jannette remains confident as she orders Grovyle to use Solar Beam. Dwayne commands Treecko and Swablu to dodge, and both do so. Swablu then swoops in towards Torkoal with Fury Attack, and Jannette commands Torkoal to use Overheat, and Torkoal launches the attack just as Swablu reaches towards it, and the point-blank distance causes an explosion that knocks out both Pokémon.

After recalling their fainted Pokémon, the battle resumes, this time one-on-one. Dwayne commands Treecko to use Bullet Seed. Treecko attempts to perform Bullet Seed again, but it fails. Jannette commands Grovyle to use Leaf Blade, though Treecko dodges and Pounds it in a follow-up attack. Grovyle unleashes a Bullet Seed, but Treecko evades the move and knocks Groyle to the ground with a Quick Attack. Jannette asks Grovyle to get up, and with a struggle Grovyle does so. Treecko is panting heavily, and Dwayne notes that Treecko is almost out of energy. Jannette realizes that Grovyle does not have enough energy for Solar Beam, so she calls for another round of Bullet Seed. Dwayne retaliates, commanding Treecko to use Bullet Seed also. The Bullet Seed attacks collide in midair, but suddenly Treecko's Bullet Seed is depleted and Grovyle's Bullet Seed overwhelms Treecko. Treecko gets knocked out as a result, giving Jannette the win.

After the battle, Jannette rewards everyone with some spare watermelons. Treecko, however, is sitting by itself, clearly annoyed by its loss. Dwayne walks over to him, with Dwayne assuring Treecko that it will take time to perfect his Bullet Seed technique. Treecko dismisses Dwayne's optimism, so Dwayne sprays seeds at the back of Treecko's head. Treecko, irritated, retaliates by firing a real Bullet Seed attack at him, and Dwayne gets knocked backwards. Jannette comments that all Treecko needed was the right motivation, and Dwayne, offended, questions why Treecko was motivated to attack him. Jannette responds that what Treecko learned was important, not what the target was, and Dwayne agrees, although somewhat upset that Treecko was motivated enough to attack him.

After everyone eats, Dwayne thanks Jannette for her assistance, and Jannette explains that she enjoyed tutoring young Trainers, and says that she was looking foward to Dwayne's progress first-hand. Confused by this, Dwayne asks her what she meant, and Jannette explains that she was challenging Gyms around Hoenn to qualify for the Hoenn League, which shocks Dwayne. Jannette winks at him, and says that she would be expecting to battle him again, at the Hoenn League. The two Trainers shake hands, and Jannette departs, with Dwayne again thanking her for helping Treecko learn Bullet Seed.

A few days later, Dwayne arrives in Mauville City, and promptly challenges Wattson, the Gym Leader. Dwayne and Wattson soon take their places at the ends of the battlefield. The referee explains that the battle will be two-on-two, with both sides allowed to make substitutions. Both of them choose their first Pokémon at the referee's signal, with Dwayne picking Corphish and Wattson choosing Raichu. Wattson questions Dwayne's choice, and Dwayne says that Corphish's power could overpower his type disadvantage. The battle begins with a clash of Raichu's Thunderbolt and Corphish's Bubble Beam, before Raichu goes into its strongest move, Volt Tackle, right after. Dwayne has Corphish use Bubble Beam again, but Raichu manages to push through the attack and send Corphish flying. Mid-fall, Raichu surprises Dwayne by using its tail to catch and fling Corphish. Dwayne quickly counters by having Corphish use Crabhammer while spinning, bouncing off a wall to hit Raichu. However, just before the attack hits, Wattson has Raichu use Reflect to shield itself, avoiding a lot of damage. Wattson compliments Dwayne's skills, and Dwayne remarks that he's used to turning challenging situations into opportunities. Seeing that Corphish is tiring out, Dwayne calls him back for a rest, sending out Combusken to replace him.

Combusken opens up with Fire Spin, which Raichu tries to counter with Thunderbolt, only for Combusken to dodge it and deal a direct blow on Raichu. Combusken then moves on to use Flamethrower, easily pushing through Raichu's Thunderbolt and dealing another hit. Wattson tells Raichu to use Volt Tackle, but it gets stopped in its tracks by Combusken's Dig, causing Raichu to trip within a hole, and subsequently struck by Combusken's attack, which sends Raichu slamming into a wall, taking it out of the fight. While Dwayne compliments Combusken, Wattson recalls Raichu and sends out his second Pokémon, Electrode. Wattson commands it to use Magnet Rise, which not only raises it off the ground, but chunks of the battlefield as well. Wattson explains that they've developed this strategy to counteract the Ground-type moves most challengers use here. Electrode starts bouncing around the floating floor pieces, rapidly striking Combusken from all directions. Even Combusken's attempt at flinging Electrode away with Flamethrower only momentarily slows down the assault. Combusken tries to use Quick Attack, but Electrode evades the attack and uses Discharge, knocking Combusken out. While Dwayne recalls Combusken, the effects of Magnet Rise wear off and the battlefield returns to normal.

Dwayne sends Corphish back out to face Electrode. Wattson is determined to finish the battle and tells Electrode to use Rollout, which strikes Corphish time and time again, getting stronger and faster with each hit. Before Corphish can be defeated, however, Dwayne tells him to jump on Electrode and use Crabhammer, quickly bringing the Ball Pokémon's rolling to a stop. Corphish starts rolling on top of Electrode to spin it in the opposite direction and gain control over its momentum. Just before Electrode hits a wall, Corphish jumps off of it, and as Electrode is sent bouncing off the wall, Corphish lands a finishing Crabhammer. However, Electrode then suddenly starts to detonate, the final blow having activated its Aftermath Ability. Dwayne quickly tells Corphish to use Protect, and when the explosion clears, Corphish is shown to be unscathed, leaving Electrode as the only one to have gone down. The referee then officially rules Dwayne as the winner of the match.

Wattson recalls Electrode and congratulates Dwayne on his victory, and awards him with the Dynamo Badge, saying he earned it, especially with one of his Pokémon having the type disadvantage against his Electric-type Pokémon. Outside of the Gym, Wattson tells Dwayne that he should head towards Lavaridge Town next, and to expect a "hot" battle for her next challenge. Dwayne thanks Wattson for the hint and waves him goodbye.

Just a few days later, Dwayne finally arrives in Lavaridge Town, which is said to be famous for its hot springs. Dwayne observes people being buried in the sand in the dry analogue to hot springs, the sand baths, and decides to check them out after his Gym battle. Dwayne arrives at the Gym and challenges Flannery, who accepts his challenge in a heartbeat, admitting that she hadn't received any challengers in months. When the battle begins, Flannery begins with Magcargo, and Dwayne sends out Swablu. As the battle starts, Swablu starts off with a Fury Attack, landing a direct hit. Flannery makes the next move with a Flamethrower, but Dwayne uses Swablu's quick speed to dodge the attack. Dwayne continues to show his confidence, much to Flannery's distaste. As the battle goes on, Dwayne tries to use Swablu's Fury Attack to end it, but Flannery tells Magacargo to use Reflect to minimize the damage taken. Nevertheless, Dwayne is eventually able to take out Magcargo with a Sing followed by another Fury Attack.

Dwayne and Flannery both recall their Pokémon. Dwayne sends out Dragonair, and Flannery sends out Slugma. Dragonair successfully dodges Slugma's attacks and tries to move in for an Aqua Tail, but right before it hits, she bounces right back, due to the Reflect that still protects Flannery's team. Dragonair keeps attacking, eventually hitting with a Breaking Swipe from close range, but also receives a nasty burn on her tail. Dragonair attempts a Twister, but is sent straight to sleep by a Yawn. Dwayne tries vainly to wake Dragonair up, but is eventually forced to recall her. Dwayne then sends Swablu into the battle, who dodges Slugma's Flamethrower and just as Reflect ends, Swablu strikes with Fury Attack. As the battle continues, Slugma hides in its Smog in order to attack Swablu. Swablu senses and hears Slugma's movements and uses Fury Attack, but Slugma avoids it and uses Flamethrower which hits Swablu. When Dwayne commands another Fury Attack, Swablu instead demonstrates having learned Dragon Breath, which lands and knocks Slugma out of the battle.

Flannery's final Pokémon is Torkoal. Swablu attempts Dragon Breath again, but is shocked to discover that Torkoal's hard shell makes it completely useless. Torkoal uses Sludge Bomb; Swablu dodges two bombs and gets hit by one. Dwayne tells Swablu to not give up but Torkoal then uses an incredibly powerful Overheat, landing a direct hit on Swablu and knocking her out. Dwayne then decides to bring Dragonair back out, who despite managing to score a direct hit with Twister, gets knocked out by a flurry of Sludge Bombs as a result from her earlier burn effect.

Dwayne then sends out his final Pokémon, Gardevoir. Gardevoir and Torkoal clash with Shadow Ball and Flamethrower, respectively, which cancel each other. Torkoal then unleashes Sludge Bomb, but Gardevoir manages to dodge and strike Torkoal with Moonblast, which Torkoal is unable to dodge. Gardevoir then uses Psychic and despite Torkoal's heavy weight, Gardevoir manages to lift it into the air and slam the Coal Pokémon onto the battlefield, which knocks it out and earns Dwayne the Heat Badge. After the battle, Dwayne and Flannery agree to relax at the hot springs, where the two of them discuss their battle and gossip about random subjects. Later that day, Dwayne and Flannery bid farewell as Dwayne spends the night at the Pokémon Center, before continuing on his journey the next morning.

While passing through the Petalburg Woods en route towards Petalburg City, Dwayne stops for lunch and notices that Treecko is secluding himself up in a tree and appears to be in an unhappy mood. Dwayne climbs up and tries to cheer Treecko up, but it doesn't work. Corphish then runs up the tree and knocks Dwayne away, also attempting to assist Treecko, but it again doesn't work. Suddenly, Dwayne begins hearing something, and soon its source, a Loudred rampages through his picnic spot. It continues dashing along toward its Trainer, Layla. Layla attempts to calm Loudred down but can't seem to, until she jumps on its back. Layla apologizes to Dwayne for the trouble, but Dwayne assures her that it was nothing, and asks how many Badges did Layla obtain, and she shows off her five Badges, and Dwayne comments that he was heading towards her mother's Gym for his fifth Badge. After exchanging further pleasantries, Layla says that not very long ago, Loudred has grown to be a troublemaker that sometimes has trouble listening to her commands. Dwayne considers Treecko's current odd behavior, and suggests a battle would help ease Loudred's angst. Layla agrees to the idea. As Dwayne goes to select his own Pokémon, Treecko leaps down and is determined to battle Loudred.

Treecko commences the battle with a Quick Attack which appears to do no damage. Loudred counterattacks with a Stomp that traps Treecko, but it manages to break free by using Bullet Seed. After this, Loudred responds with a Screech that knocks Treecko back, and follows up with Earthquake. Treecko dodges the seismic waves and sends Loudred flying into a tree with a powerful Pound attack. After this, both Pokémon glare at each other, and start to evolve at the same time. As both Trainers seem to be awed and surprised that Treecko and Loudred simultaneously evolved, Dwayne's newly evolved Grovyle reveals that it has learned a new move, Leaf Blade. The battle continues and Grovyle charges in with another Leaf Blade, when Layla commands her newly evolved Exploud to dodge. But instead of dodging, Exploud sends Grovyle flying back with its newly learned Hyper Voice attack. After this, Exploud begins rampaging once again and Grovyle tries to stop it with Bullet Seed, but it does nothing. Grovyle then uses Quick Attack, but Exploud hits it away and continues charging, and Layla and Dwayne then chase after Exploud.

Dwayne and Layla start calling Exploud's name but get no response. As Layla begins to feel disheartened, Dwayne offers her hope that they'll find Exploud soon. Dwayne notices that Grovyle is becoming agitated, but he refuses to return and instead leaps into the trees. Layla looks up at Grovyle and is reminded of how tame Loudred used to be when it was a Whismur. Meanwhile, Exploud sees an apple up a tree and uses Stomp to knock it down, although this also disturbs the many Beedrill sleeping the in the tree, and they all attack Exploud, releasing a loud cry in the process. Grovyle hears this cry and proceeds towards it. Grovyle makes it to the location and saves Exploud from the Beedrill. Grovyle then stares Exploud down for a while, until they resume their previous battle as the sun comes out. Grovyle charges in, and Exploud uses Stomp. Grovyle dodges and uses Pound, only to provoke Exploud to strike back with Hyper Voice. After taking the hit, Grovyle lands a direct hit with Bullet Seed that knocks Exploud down. Dwayne and Layla then arrive at the scene and the real battle begins. Dwayne commands Grovyle to use Leaf Blade while Layla orders Exploud to dodge. But instead of dodging, Exploud takes the hit head on. Grovyle goes in for another Leaf Blade and Layla again commands Exploud to dodge. Exploud once again ignores Layla's command and blocks Grovyle's attack, while Grovyle breaks free using Pound. After Layla scolds Exploud to listen to her commands, it walks away just as the Beedrill return for another ambush.

Just as Layla notices Beedrill in the bushes, the Beedrill fire off multiple Pin Missile at Exploud, but Layla pushes it out of the way just in time. As the Beedrill attack Exploud again, Grovyle uses Bullet Seed to knock them down, and the Beedrill are scared off once and for all. Feeling touched that Layla saved it despite its previous treatment towards her, Exploud helps Layla up and it explains that it wants to continue training with her, making the two hug each other. After this, Grovyle and Exploud resume their battle once again. Dwayne orders Grovyle to use Pound, but Layla orders Exploud to dodge, which it does, and follows up with Hyper Voice, but Grovyle dodges and knocks out Exploud with a Leaf Blade, giving Dwayne the victory. Afterwards, Dwayne and Layla shake hands, as does Grovyle and Exploud, and Layla offers to join Dwayne towards his path towards Petalburg City, wanting to visit her family, and Dwayne agrees, and both Trainers head off together towards the city.

Arriving in Petalburg City, Dwayne and Layla split up for the time being as Dwayne goes to heal at the Pokémon Center, while Layla visits her home. When she gets there, Elizabeth greets her at the doorstep, but she quickly changes to a suspicious tone when Layla asks about her father. Layla is left utterly confused, but before she can say anything, Gwendolyn comes and greets her. She too is acting suspicious and invites Layla inside to enjoy some lunch.

Meanwhile, Dwayne arrives at the Pokémon Center, and Dwayne is surprised to see that aside from Nurse Joy being there, Jethro is leaning over the front desk engaged in a deep conversation with her. Dwayne begins to approach them, but Jethro is quick to say farewell to Nurse Joy, but the chuckle filled goddbye only leaves Dwayne curious as to what they're hiding.

Back at the Petalburg Gym, Layla is seen eating and bragging about her journey. Layla then talks about her recent adventures, and mentions that she met up with Dwayne, and asks about her father, which causes Gwendolyn to tense up and hold back her anger. Elizabeth then quickly steers her off that subject by asking about her recent captures. Layla mentions having recently caught a Beautifly, but this only infuriates Gwendolyn more. Elizabeth quickly steps in, through Layla mentions that Beautifly helped her to win some Gym battles. Gwendolyn is now nearly losing her temper, though she turns around and pretends that nothing is amiss. Soon after, Elizabeth takes Layla into the greenhouse to explain the situation. She begins to warn Layla that this may give her a nasty shock, and whispers that rumor has it that Jethro has been visiting the Pokémon Center a lot recently and is having an affair with the local Nurse Joy. Layla refutes Elizabeth's claims, adding that a lot of people visit the Pokémon Center. Elizabeth then adds that Gwendolyn has been frustrated with the situation, and the mention of “Beautifly” really angers her. Inside the house, Gwendolyn is busy packing her possessions and places a photograph of her and Jethro surrounded by Beautifly facedown. Dwayne suddenly arrives at the greenhouse, interrupting the secret conversation.

Dwayne informs them that he saw Jethro at the Center talking to Nurse Joy, though the information only alarms Elizabeth and Layla. However, this only fuels Layla into wanting to solve this situation and orders everyone to follow her towards the Pokémon Center, although Dwayne remains confused as to why, and Elizabeth says she would explain it to him later. Layla, Elizabeth, and Dwayne enter the lobby and they’re all shocked to see Jethro speaking with Nurse Joy. Jethro notices everyone and happily greets them. Layla and Elizabeth are unable to speak to their father, while Dwayne remains confused as to what was happening, and Elizabeth pulls him down and whispers to his ear about the situation, and Dwayne almost freaks out, but gets slapped in the back of the head by Elizabeth, who demands him to keep quiet. Dwayne decides to subtly confront Jethro, adding that Gwendolyn is worried sick at home about him, but suddenly, a very angry Gwendolyn, with her suitcase in hand, arrives at the Center and reveals she is leaving. Jethro doesn't explain still, and Gwendolyn repeats that she is going somewhere else. Jethro, however, remains dense, asking her if she needed help with her bags, causing everyone to become dumbfounded at him. Dwayne eventually explains the rumored situation to Jethro and Nurse Joy, and the tale takes the pair aback. Gwendolyn reiterates that she cannot forgive him for being unfaithful, especially on the day of their wedding anniversary. Dwayne and Elizabeth urge Gwendolyn and Jethro to figure things out, but Layla demands that they give Jethro the benefit of the doubt. Gwendolyn understands Layla's idolization for her father, but is still set on leaving. Though Jethro smirks, before explaining that there has been a big misunderstanding. He calls for everyone to head back home where they can figure things out.

By nightfall, Jethro explains that Nurse Joy was helping him with a gift for Gwendolyn, and Joy sets off the machine, and Beautifly-shaped fireworks are shot into the air. Joy also apologizes about being secretive, but she reveals that Jethro knew that she is also a fireworks technician. He wanted to arrange a special gift for Gwendolyn to celebrate their anniversary, with the Beautifly fireworks commemorating that day in the flower field with all the Beautifly. Gwendolyn begins to cry, and apologizes to her husband for her suspicions, and wishes him a happy anniversary as they kiss. Dwayne sighs in relief that everything worked out well in the end, and mumbles to himself to never try as hard as Jethro did, as Jethro's kind gesture almost resulted in the end of his marriage, and jokes that he was surprised that Gwendolyn didn't just beat him to a pulp instead of simply deciding to leave.

The next day, Dwayne enters the Petalburg Gym, ready for his battle against Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn tells him that she's been waiting for another fight with Dwayne ever since their last battle, and Dwayne says he's more than willing to take Gwendolyn up on her offer. Watching from the sidelines, Layla says she's excited to see how the match turns out. Elizabeth tells her that their mother is certain to win. Jethro tells her that she should just relax and enjoy the match without worrying about the final result, but Elizabeth remains adamant that Gwendolyn would win. The referee announces the rules of the match: three Pokémon, but only Dwayne is allowed substitutions. Raising his flags, the referee signals for the match to begin and both Dwayne and Gwendolyn send out their first Pokémon, Corphish and Donphan. Utilizing Corphish's speed, Dwayne orders him to use Vise Grip, but Donphan dodges and counterattacks with Horn Attack. Jumping out of the way, Corphish attacks with Crabhammer, but misses once again as Donphan leaps out of the way. Dazed, Corphish is unable to dodge Donphan's Take Down and is blasted across the arena.

As Corphish recovers from Take Down, Dwayne realizes that he needs to change his strategy. He orders Corphish to attack with Bubble Beam. However, Donphan dodges this attack as well and responds with Rock Tomb. As a result, Dwayne recalls Corphish for some rest, and sends out Combusken instead. Upon seeing Combusken, Gwendolyn comments that she was surprised to see that Dwayne also owned one, and remarked that herself, Dwayne, and Layla all owned the same species, but Layla sheepishly comments that Dwayne's Combusken was the same one that used to belong to her, and they had traded their Pokémon, much to everyone's shock. Gwendolyn asks why Layla had traded her very first Pokémon, and Layla comments that Combusken's nature didn't match with her training style, so they opted to trade. Despite somewhat disappointed that Layla traded away her starter Pokémon, Gwendolyn nonetheless respects her decision.

As the battle resumes, Combusken uses Flamethrower, which easily blasts through Donphan's Rock Tomb and scores a direct hit, knocking Donphan out. With Donphan out of commission, Gwendolyn calls out her next Pokémon, Gallade. Dodging Combusken's Flamethrower, Gallade knocks Combusken out with a single Psycho Cut. With Combusken down, Dwayne sends Corphish back into the arena. Gallade dodges a Bubble Beam from Corphish and attacks with Signal Beam. Corphish blocks the attack with Bubble Beam but is hit with a surprise follow-up Close Combat. Layla says that Dwayne should substitute Corphish, but Jethro tells her that if he does that, his only reserve Pokémon will be the already injured Corphish. He has no choice but to use Corphish as long as possible. Sizing up Gallade, Dwayne suddenly comes up with a plan. He orders Corphish to use Vise Grip, dodging a Signal Beam from Gallade. As Corphish closes the distance, Gwendolyn orders Gallade to use Close Combat, but is surprised when Dwayne tells Corphish to switch over to Aqua Jet, and Corphish suddenly speeds towards Gallade with amazing speed, striking it before Gallade can attack. Seizing the opportunity, Corphish attacks with a follow-up Crabhammer, knocking Gallade out. However the effort is too much for Corphish and he passes out as well, resulting in a double KO.

After recalling Corphish, Dwayne and Gwendolyn send out their last remaining Pokémon, pitting Gwendolyn's Blaziken against Dwayne's Grovyle. Dwayne attacks first by ordering Grovyle to use Bullet Seed, but Blaziken easily blocks the attack with his hands, sustaining no damage at all. Grovyle attacks again with Leaf Blade, but Blaziken grabs it mid-attack and tosses Grovyle back across the arena. Blaziken begins to attack with Focus Punch, but is stopped after Grovyle hits it in the face with Bullet Seed. The attack angers Blaziken, who retaliates with Aura Sphere.

Grovyle slices the Aura Sphere in half with Leaf Blade and attempts a Pound attack, but Blaziken grabs him in midair and tosses Grovyle into the ceiling. Grovyle counterattacks with Bullet Seed, but Blaziken blocks with a powerful Flamethrower, which blasts through the Bullet Seed and sends Grovyle flying. Watching Grovyle struggle to his feet, Gwendolyn suggests that Dwayne should withdraw from the match for Grovyle's safety. Dwayne begins to consider it, but stops when Grovyle indicates that it wants to keep fighting. Remembering the battle with Brawly, Dwayne wonders if he should truly cater to Grovyle's feelings or simply forfeit for his sake. Grovyle senses Dwayne's reluctance and shoots his twig onto his feet, and Dwayne realizes that Grovyle would never forgive him if he threw in the towel. Accepting Grovyle's wishes, Dwayne tells Grovyle to show Norman what he's made out of. Inspired by Dwayne's confidence, Grovyle activates his Overgrow Ability, which powers up his Grass-type attacks.

Leaping back into combat, Grovyle dodges both a Blaze Kick and Slaking's clumsy attempts to grab him. Grovyle then begins bouncing around the arena. Dodging a Flamethrower, Grovyle hits Blaziken with a vicious Quick Attack. Gwendolyn congratulates Dwayne for his recovery, but tells him that he'll need more than just speed to beat Blaziken. She orders Blaziken to attack with Focus Punch while Dwayne tells Grovyle to use Leaf Blade. The two attack each other at the same time, and after a moment's pause, Blaziken falls to the ground. Shocked at her mother's loss, Elizabeth can only stare in disbelief as Jethro and Layla congratulate Dwayne on his victory. Later, Gwendolyn presents Dwayne with the Balance Badge – however, before she can give it away, Elizabeth grabs it and runs away. Locking herself in the Gym's greenhouse, Elizabeth tells everybody gathered outside that it was unacceptable for her mother to lose the match and that it's not okay for a Trainer like her to lose in a Pokémon battle.

Gwendolyn tells her that losing is just as important as winning and that sometimes life's most important lessons are learned through losing. Dwayne tells Elizabeth that he really doesn't need the Badge, beating Gwendolyn in a fight taught him enough that he'd be satisfied without one. Touched by their words, Elizabeth comes out and gives the Badge back, but not demanding Dwayne to eventually win the Hoenn League, otherwise his victory over Gwendolyn would've been for nothing, and Dwayne assures her that he would win no matter what. Jethro then invites Dwayne to spend the night before heading out the next day, and Dwayne accepts. The next morning, Dwayne heads out, ready to face against his next challenge.

While en route towards Fortree City, Dwayne passes through Crossgate Town, where he immediately helps a Wingull floundering in the air. He then meets Josie again, who tells Dwayne that they were training for the annual PokéRinger competition, a game that involves two or four Trainers using their Pokémon to capture a ring that is hanging in the air with the first Pokémon to successfully bring the ring to the goal post winning. Josie informs Dwayne that a PokéRinger tournament is scheduled later in the day. There are lots of Trainers coming to compete, not all of them local. Josie is forced to admit that this is her first tournament, and Dwayne also decides to enter with Swablu. After the contestants are randomized, Josie is placed in the first round. Dwayne is in the second round along with the defending champion, Volt, and his Volbeat. The tournament gets underway and Josie emerges victorious in the first block.

Volbeat seems to have the early advantage in the second round by possessing Electric-type attacks. Although the other two Trainers' Pokémon fall quickly to Volbeat's Thunder, Swablu manages to dodge the electricity and grab the ring. Volbeat, however, doesn't give up and another Thunder causes Swablu to drop the ring while trying to dodge. Volbeat takes it and goes for the goal. However, Swablu's Dragon Breath counterattack causes Volbeat to lose the ring, securing Dwayne a win in the second round. Then it is time for the semifinals to begin. After Dwayne and Swablu defeat a Trainers' Skarmory, Josie and Wingull defeat a Trainer's Tropius to advance to the finals.

The final round is Dwayne versus Josie. Josie starts off by ordering a Water Gun from Wingull. However, Swablu retaliates with Mist, which blinds Wingull's vision and allows Swablu to evade the attack. Josie isn't out of the round yet, but a sand tornado starts and engulfs the ring completely. It appears as though after the tornado is over, it will be a matter of speed – who can take the ring first. In a surprise move, Dwayne orders Swablu to fly into the tornado but she is knocked back. In a second attempt to enter the tornado, Swablu struggles, but upon hearing Dwayne's words of encouragement, Swablu evolves into Altaria, allowing her to successfully fend off the tornado and seize the ring. Karin makes one last desperate play and tries to take the ring to the goal, but Dwayne orders Altaria to use Rock Smash and knock the ring into the goal, thereby winning the PokéRinger tournament. Dwayne is then granted honorary lifetime citizenship of Crossgate Town as a reward for winning the PokéRinger tournament, as he and Altaria celebrate their victory. At the outskirts of the town, Dwayne and Josie bid each other goodbye, with Josie promising to defeat Dwayne during their next encounter, and Dwayne telling Josie to work hard in the process, as they both take off on separate directions.

Dwayne arrives in Fortree City, and as the city comes into sight, he notes that Fortree City has an abundance of treehouses. Upon his arrival at the Fortree Gym, Dwayne calls out that he's here for a battle, and he's greeted by the Fortree City Gym assistant, Zachary. Zachary informs Dwayne that the Gym Leader is in the village, and unfortunately she's busy with the Feather Carnival, a once-a-year celebration of the sky in the city. Of course, Dwayne races down to the square to find the Gym Leader. While looking around the square, Dwayne spots a giant Skarmory flying with two people, a woman and young child, on its back.

Dwayne moves to track down the landing Skarmory. After a joyride, the Skarmory has landed and its Trainer is looking for another passenger to take on a Pokémon ride. Dwayne arrives first, and introduces himself to the pilot, Winona. He quickly discovers that Winona is also the Fortree Gym Leader, so Dwayne immediately challenges her. Winona accepts the challenge, but delays the match until after the festival. That leaves Dwayne fairly idle for some time, so he calls out his Pokémon to enjoy the carnival. Sometime later, Zachary and Winona lead Dwayne up to the Fortree City Gym, an open arena on top of the Gym itself, on level with the surrounding trees. Once they arrive, Dwayne notices a large crowd of people gathered on all sides of the battlefield, and Winona explains that she decided to make their Gym battle a "special attraction" for the festival, and everyone decided to watch the battle unfold.

Zachary takes his position as referee and explains the rules of the match; a three-on-three battle and only the challenger can make substitutions. Winona calls out her Altaria, while Dwayne chooses Dragonair. Altaria begins the battle with a Peck attack, but Dragonair counters with Agility to leap out of the way but gets pecked afterwards regardless. Winona commands Altaria do another Peck, but Dwayne gets Dragonair to dodge it by sliding up a totem pole. Altaria lands a direct hit with Dragon Breath, but Dragonair doesn't seem too affected by it. Winona again commands Altaria to use the same attack, but Dwayne gets Dragonair to move out of the way. Winona is mildly concerned with Dragonair's Speed as she continues to evade Altaria's Dragon Breath. Dragonair then attacks with Aqua Tail and hits Altaria on the back, with no ill effect. Altaria resorts to ascending even higher. Despite the increased altitude, Dragonair rebounds off a pole and smacks Altaria with Breaking Swipe. Dragonair holds the attack, pushing the pair directly into the battlefield. When the dust has settled, Altaria lies unconscious so Dragonair is declared the winner of the round. Winona admits that she was caught off guard by Dragonair's strategy, but was nonetheless impressed, and the crowd also cheers for his victory.

Winona recalls Altaria and sends out Pelipper. Dwayne decides to switch out Dragonair and selects Combusken. Combusken starts off with a Quick Attack, but the attack is proving ineffective as Pelipper retaliates with Steel Wing. Combusken is keeping up its Quick Attack, but Pelipper remains unaffected. After Pelipper strikes Combusken with a Quick Attack of its own, Dwayne changes his strategy and orders Combusken to remain still. Although confused, Winona orders Pelipper to use Wing Attack, and as Pelipper draws near, Dwayne orders Combusken to use Counter, and when Pelipper lands the attack, Combusken subsequently returns the damage twice as powerful. As both Pokémon are exhausted, Dwayne and Winona decide to end the round, with Winona ordering a Hydro Pump while Dwayne orders a Flamethrower, and both attacks collide for a brief moment before causing an explosion that engulfs both Pokémon. Once the smoke clears, both Combusken and Pelipper are unable to continue the battle.

Winona informs Dwayne that the day's perfect conditions have heightened the power of her Flying-type Pokémon before summoning her Shiny Swellow as her final Pokémon, while Dwayne chooses Dragonair again. Dwayne commands Dragonair to use Twister, though Swellow is seemingly unscathed by the attack. Swellow is then ordered to use Aerial Ace, and Dwayne tells Dragonair to leap and strike Swellow from behind with Aqua Tail, but Swellow dodges it. Instead, Swellow lands its mark and carries Dragonair into the sky before tossing her directly into the battlefield to win the round.

Dwayne then chooses Altaria to battle. Winona is impressed by Dwayne's choice, so the two elevate their battle platforms to incredible heights for a real sky battle. The increased altitude brings a new challenge to match; unpredictable wind currents. Dwayne tells Altaria to use Aerial Ace, but Swellow strikes first, causing Altaria to lose control of her flying as she begins to descend towards the field below. Winona orders her Swellow to repeatedly Peck Altaria. Then, she orders a Hyper Beam attack, which Altaria dodges. Taking the opportunity that Swellow is unable to move due to the attack's side-effects, Dwayne orders a flurry of Dragon Breath attacks. However, once Swellow recovers, Winona orders Hyper Beam a second time and Swellow scores a direct hit. Dwayne tells Altaria to counter with Dragon Breath, but Swellow is faster and dodges this attack, countering with Aerial Ace, but Altaria defends herself with Cotton Guard.

The battle becomes an aerial chase between Altaria and Swellow, and Dwayne gets some inspiration when she sees the dust being stirred on the ground by Swellow's rapidly changing direction in mid-air close to the ground. Winona orders another Hyper Beam. Valeria orders Altaria to rush towards the ground. Winona calls for Swellow to use Aerial Ace. Dwayne then commands Altaria to use Mist on the ground, whipping up a disorientation cloud. The momentary distraction allows Altaria to launch a direct hit with a point-blank Dragon Breath, knocking Swellow out. Zachary officially calls the match, and declares Dwayne as the winner, and the crowd breaks out in applause for the amazing battle. Winona presents the Feather Badge to Dwayne against a beautiful sunset background, admitting that the battle truly showcased the trust between Dwayne and his Pokémon.

Sometime later, Dwayne reaches a wooden bridge over a small canyon. When Dwayne attempts to take a step in the bridge, the bridge collapes and plummets into the canyon beneath, and Dwayne simply stares in shock. As he recovers from the shock, Dwayne looks up and an Absol, a Pokémon known for heralding disaster, is standing just on the other side of the broken bridge. As Dwayne postulates that Absol's appearance is related to the destruction of the bridge, two armed villagers approach the Absol and begin to shout angrily at the Pokémon, claiming it's another bridge that Absol has destroyed. Absol evades capture easily, and Dwayne leaves for the nearby Volley Town to inquire about Absol further. Apparently, a spate of minor disasters, including the destruction of three bridges, started with Absol's appearance several months ago. The villagers say that their problems should soon be over, though, because they've hired hunters to rid the village of their problems.

Right before the hunters are about to leave with Dwayne, though, a boy, Nicky appears and shouts at them, claiming that Absol would never be caught by the likes of them. It's soon revealed that Nicky's elder brother Gordon, had left town to catch an Absol because Gordon didn't believe that Absol caused disasters. Nicky reasons that if his brother can't catch an Absol, then nobody can't either. While the hunters leave on their hunt, Nicky and Dwayne leave for a nearby mountaintop, hoping that from a higher vantage point they would have a better chance of catching Absol. However, just as the duo passes some mysterious water-filled rocks and onto the mountain's highest peak, Absol finds them. As Absol advances, Dwayne steps in front of Nicky to protect him, and Absol abruptly stops charging. The two reach a standoff, but just moments later, a flood of water erupts from the rocks behind them. Dwayne, Nicky, and Absol are swept away by the flood, and the former three are caught on a branch over the side of the cliff. Nicky loses his grip and begins to fall, but Absol leaps to save him, convincing Dwayne that Absol is actually a kindhearted Pokémon.

Just then, the branch holding Dwayne breaks, but he is rescued by a Heracross that belongs to Nicky's older brother, Gordon. Gordon explains that he's been tracking groups of Absol in other mountains to better understand them after saving the life of the wild Absol in his village's mountain. From his research, Gordon made a startling find, Absol only approach human settlements with good reason, that they don't actually cause disasters but often take the blame, and don't attack unless provoked. After some thinking, Dwayne realizes that the water pressure in the mountain's spring is building. Absol had been trying to warn everyone that the village will soon be flooded, while the increased water flow destroyed the bridges. Just then, a geyser of water erupts out of the side of the mountain, threatening to destroy Gordon's village.

Absol tries to knock over a giant boulder to block the water's path, and everyone present calls out their Pokémon to help, but the boulder doesn't budge. Absol moves into point blank range with its Hyper Beam and successfully diverts the boulder and the water flow. Afterwards, the villagers are left with the realization that Absol has the power to predict disasters, not cause them, and that Absol is in fact a good Pokémon. However, the hunters then arrive and proclaim they'll capture Absol, but Dwayne steps in front of Absol, telling them that their services were no longer needed and the villagers are cancelling their assignment. The hunters, however, decide to capture Absol regardless, but Dwayne tells them that he won't allow it. Seeing this, Absol leaps in front of Dwayne, and just as the hunters are about to summon their Pokémon, Absol unleashes a Razor Wind attack that shatters the ground beneath them. Absol then uses Quick Attack to charge towards the hunters and scare them off. Dwayne then thanks Absol for saving him, and Absol simply responds by snatching one of Dwayne's Poké Balls, and Dwayne takes this act as a sign that Absol wanted to join his team, and directly asks Absol if this was the case. Absol simply closes his eyes before tapping the Poké Ball's mechanism, allowing himself to get captured, and Nicky theorises that Absol seeing Dwayne defend him earned his trust and respect, and Dwayne says that he was grateful that Absol chose to trust him. After bidding the villagers goodbye, Dwayne continues on his path towards his next Gym battle.

After arriving in Lilycove City, Dwayne learns the the next ferry towards Mossdeep City was just minutes away from taking off, so Dwayne races towards the docks, where he narrowly manages to embark on time, just as the ferry leaves the city. After a two-day travel, the boat finally arrives at the city, where Dwayne immediately heads towards the Mossdeep Gym. When Dwayne challenges the Gym Leader, he is shocked to learn that unlike other Gyms, the Mossdeep Gym had two Gym Leaders, the twins Tate and Liza, who nonetheless accept his challenge. The referee explains the rules of the Gym is that the Gym focuses on Double Battles and gives a detailed explanation of the special field they're using. The field has mock-ups of all the planets orbiting the sun, creating obstacles that wouldn't be there ordinarily. Tate and Liza start by choosing Solrock and Lunatone, respectively. After some thought, Dwayne chooses Altaria and Absol: Altaria for her speed and Absol for his Dark-type advantage of the Psychic-types. Solrock uses Tackle on Absol, hitting the Disaster Pokémon. Lunatone uses Tackle as well, striking Altaria. Dwayne then orders Absol to use Quick Attack on Solrock and tells Altaria to use Aerial Ace on Lunatone. As Absol charges into his attack, Solrock floats out of the way, causing Absol to crash into one of the floating planets. The same thing happens with Altaria after Lunatone moves aside. Absol falls down, and soon after Altaria lands on him.

Tate and Liza are now ready for their next attacks. Solrock uses Solar Beam while Lunatone is told to use Ice Beam, however, the two attacks collide and cancel each other out. The failed attacks spark an argument between the twins, stopping them from battling. Dwayne sees this as his chance, so she orders Altaria to use Dragon Breath on Lunatone, and it hits. Absol is also ordered to attack, and he lashes Solrock with a Razor Wind. Tate and Liza notice that their Pokémon are getting beaten while they quarrel, so they both rejoin the match and order their Pokémon to use Tackle attacks on Absol. Absol is about to be sandwiched by the two Psychic Pokémon, but Altaria swoops in and rescues Absol. Consequently, Lunatone and Solrock crash into each other, which causes Tate and Liza to begin arguing again.

As the twin Gym Leaders blame each other for their constant blunders, Absol uses Hyper Beam on Solrock, but Lunatone slides in front and guards it with Light Screen. Despite Absol being unable to move after using Hyper Beam, being on top of the moving Altaria prevents him from being defenseless. Altaria tries to attack Lunatone with Aerial Ace, but Solrock uses Sandstorm to stop her. The airborne Absol uses Dark Pulse on Solrock, but Lunatone again intervenes and uses Ice Beam to block the attack. Altaria is then ordered to use Dragon Breath. The two Psychic-type Pokémon fly back to back as Tate and Liza order a Solar and Ice Beam combination to push Dragon Breath back, although Dwayne quickly orders Altaria to switch to Mist, which blocks the two Psychic-types's vision, and allows Altaria and Absol to hide themselves within the thick mist.

Dwayne then decides to attempt something unorthodox, and orders Absol to clutch onto Altaria and charge up Quick Attack, and Absol does so, and the charging power of Quick Attack not only engulfs Absol's body, but also Altaria's, whose Speed increases tremendously, and Valeria orders a Take Down attack from Altaria, and with Absol's Quick Attack being absorbed into Altaria's body, her Aerial Ace attack comes with an incredible Speed, which allows them to directly strike Lunatone, who itself crashes into Solrock. Absol then finishes them both off with a Dark Pulse that hits both Pokémon at once, sending them crashing onto the Gym's wall and gives Absol and Altaria the victory. Outside of the Gym, Tate and Liza award Dwayne the Mind Badge, noting that his Double Battle skills rivaled theirs, and they both admit that they allowed their sibling bickering intervene with their battle. Dwayne thanks them for the great battle, and bids them goodbye, heading to the Pokémon Center to heal up Absol and Altaria.

The next morning, while enjoying a hot cup of peppermint milk at the Mossdeep Café, Dwayne gets approached by an elder man, whom Dwayne instantly recognizes as Drake of the Hoenn Elite Four. Drake explains that he'd watched his battle against Tate and Liza, having been at the Gym for a visit, and was impressed with his skills and adaptability, and promptly invites him aboard his boat, which Dwayne eagerly accepts. Drake escorts Dwayne to the docks as his grand ship sails into view. Once aboard, Dwayne marvels over the ship's grandeur. Drake then suggests a battle with Dwayne, and the young Trainer agrees almost immediately.

The first round of the three-on-three match begins with Drake choosing Shelgon while Dwayne selects Corphish. Dwayne seems confident, thinking that Corphish's durability will give it the advantage. Corphish starts off by using Water Gun, and it hits Shelgon directly. However, Drake seems calm. Corphish repeats the attack, but this time Shelgon dodges it, although barely, with Double-Edge. Shelgon keeps charging at Corphish, but he is easily able to avoid it. Believing that he has Shelgon all tired out, Dwayne tells Corphish to use Aqua Jet. Drake doesn't seem to react until Corphish is in range before having Shelgon counter with Dragon Breath and follow up with Dragon Claw. The two attacks prove to be too much for Corphish, and the Water-type Pokémon faints. Drake's first mate, Fitzwilliam, comments that Shelgon's incredible endurance was key to Drake's strategy.

Drake brings out Altaria, and Dwayne responds with Grovyle. Drake questions Dwayne's choice as Grass-types were weak against Flying-types, but is fully aware that Dwayne had something up his sleeve. As Drake predicted, Dwayne has Grovyle jump from mast to mast, allowing it to reach the Flying Pokémon. Grovyle then uses Bullet Seed, but Altaria flies behind one of the masts to evade the onslaught. Grovyle prepares to lash its opponent with a Leaf Blade, but Altaria is nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, it appears from behind with a Take Down attack. With its opponent starting to wear out, Altaria then uses Dragon Breath, knocking Grovyle to the ground. Drake advises Dwayne that he needs to fully focus on the battle if he hopes to win. Altaria then charges downward with a Sky Attack, but Grovyle is able to dodge it with Quick Attack, before throwing out a Leaf Blade at its opponent. However, Altaria dodges the attack with Aerial Ace and fires a Solar Beam, which sends Grovyle crashing through two barrels before slamming into a wall and knocking itself out. Drake gently picks up Grovyle, and after a quick inspection admits that some rest at the Pokémon Center will help it recover. Dwayne agrees and recalls Grovyle. Drake commends Dwayne on his improved abilities, admitting that maintaining a clear mind will help him go far.

Drake invites him to have dinner on his ship after Dwayne's Pokémon have been treated at the Pokémon Center, and Dwayne happily accepts. That night, Dwayne joins Drake and crew for a hearty dinner. Drake tells Dwayne that he shouldn't focus so much on winning, but should always seek stronger and stronger opponents, having suffered from overly large self-confidence in the past as well. Dwayne nods at this advice, having learned a lesson in humility. Drake then asks him about his next step, and Dwayne mentions needed to travel to Sootopolis City for his final Gym battle, and Drake offers to take him there by boat, but Dwayne declines, saying he wanted to travel his own way, hopefully to meet more Trainers and Pokémon to further enhance his abilities, and Drake smiles at this, glad to hear that Dwayne took his advice to heart. Dwayne the bids Drake and his crew farewell as Dwayne departs from Mossdeep City.

Later, Dwayne finds himself lost on his way to Cerosi Town, since he can't find an appropriate map. Dwayne speculates there might be something in the nearby craters and throws a rock into the nearest one. A strange orange head pops out and swallows it. Dwayne consults the Pokédex, which identifies it as a Trapinch, a burrowing desert Pokémon with powerful jaws capable of eating sand and rock, and Dwayne realizes that the craters are made by Trapinch. Not long after, Elisa, a local ranger, comes in her car and tells Dwayne that he is trespassing in a dangerous area. Dwayne explains that he didn't know the area was restricted. Shortly after commenting that the region doesn't look dangerous, Dwayne loses his footing and falls in a crater. Elisa saves him by throwing a rope. She explains to him that there is an underground tunnel network known as the Trapinch underground labyrinth linking all of the craters, and that they should do everything possible to avoid falling in.

Elisa starts to drive Dwayne to safety, but they soon encounter a strange man running from a charging Donphan. Elisa calls out her Meganium, which releases Sweet Scent from its petals, calming the Donphan. After the unknown man thanks Elisa for saving him again, Elisa introduces him as Hal, an accident-prone researcher. Hal explains that he is looking for a Trapinch with a transmitter on its back, which he's using to search for a secret underground lake in the Trapinch labyrinth. Hal tells Dwayne the story from his youth, claiming that he discovered the lake when he was lost in the labyrinth himself. While trying to find a way out of the maze, he lost consciousness. When Hal woke up he saw a huge, beautiful lake with many Trapinch gathered around it. All of the Trapinch evolved into Vibrava at the same time before leaving. Without explanation, Hal suddenly found himself back outside of the labyrinth. This motivated him to start his career as a Pokémon Researcher. The group spots the transmitter-laden Trapinch heading into a crater.

Elisa explains there's been many Pokémon trying to take over the Trapinch labyrinth, and they were there to prevent that from happening. Just as Elisa finishes explaining, many Trapinch emerge from the nearby cave, clearly running away from something, and suddenly, a Steelix, Rhydon and Golem come out of the cave, chasing after the Trapinch. The Trapinch crawl behind Dwayne and Elisa, and Dwayne sends out Corphish to battle them. Steelix and Rhydon unleash Stone Edge while Golem uses Rock Blast, but Corphish manages to dodge the attacks and hits all three Rock-type Pokémon with Water Gun. However, Steelix quickly recovers and uses Flash Cannon, which hits Corphish, but Dwayne catches him mid-air to save him. The Trapinch are frightned, except for one, who gains the courage to defend its kind, and walks over to Dwayne, wanting to battle alongside it.

Dwayne scans Trapinch with his Pokédex to learn its moves and orders it to use Mud-Slap, but the attack is nearly uneffective due to the gap in strength between them. Dwayne then commands a barrage of Bite, Sand Tomb and Rock Slide, but these attacks are also ineffective. Steelix and Rhydon fire a combined Stone Edge, which sends Trapinch flying, but Dwayne manages to catch it time. Trapinch appreciates Dwayne's rescue, and leaps out of his arms, and suddenly evolves into Vibrava. Elisa says that the Trapinch all evolve together because their power were the same, but because this Trapinch engaged in battle and gained more experience, it was able to evolve sooner than the others. With its newfound power, Vibrava is able to put up a better fight, and unleashes Dragon Breath, which Steelix counters with Flash Cannon. Both attacks clash, but Corphish sneaks up behind Steelix and hurts it with Crabhammer, which allows Dragon Breath to overcome its Flash Cannon, and knocks out Steelix. Rhydon and Golem then run away in fear, but Vibrava refuses to let them escape, and blocks their path with Mud Shot, and subsequently defeats Golem and Rhydon with a barrage of Earth Power.

After the Pokémon are gathered and taken away from the area, Elisa thanks Dwayne for his help, and Vibrava flies around Dwayne in circles, clearly happy with the young Trainer's assistance. Dwayne then asks Vibrava if it wanted to join his team, and Vibrava happily accepts, and Dwayne throws up a Poké Ball, and Vibrava excitedly taps the ball's mechanism, allowing itself to get captured. Elisa and the Trapinch congratulate Dwayne on his capture, and Dwayne bids them farewell as he returns to his path towards Cerosi Town.

After arriving in Cerosi Town and catching the ferry, Dwayne stands expectantly on the prow of the ferry as he arrives in Sootopolis City, the site of the eighth and final Hoenn League Gym. After planting his feet on dry land, Dwayne spots a nearby fireworks display and runs off to watch it. He traces the fireworks to above Sootopolis City's brand new water-themed theatre, where the city's mayor and the Sootopolis Gym Leader, Juan, is busy commemorating the building. In honor of the occasion, Juan calls out his Pokémon, including among many others Milotic, Sealeo, Luvdisc, and Seaking to put on a performance for the crowd. After the performance ends, Dwayne approaches Juan and introduces herself, and asks for a Gym battle, which Juan accepts. On the way to the Gym in Juan's personal boat, Dwayne sits down with Juan for a cup of tea. Dwayne comments that he heard that the Sootopolis Gym Leader was Wallace, and Juan explains that Wallace had retired from his Gym Leader duties a few years back to focus on his Coordinator career, and hand-picked Juan as his successor, and Juan further explains he himself was a Pokémon Coordinator before he became a Gym Leader and reveals that he even won himself the Ribbon Cup and the title of Top Coordinator, and Dwayne realizes he is facing a formidable opponent with experience from many different fields.

Juan reveals that his style of battling focuses on artistry and that he actually enjoys the Water-type Pokémon weakness against Electric-type attacks. Dwayne is surprised to heat that someone could like a Pokémon for its weakness and Juan informs him that, throughout his years participating in Contest Battles, he has learned that battling at a disadvantage has its own appeal. He further explains that he has learned to be defensive against attacks that might be tricky to his Pokémon, usually waiting for each attack and then making his move. Dwayne and Juan arrive at the Sootopolis Gym and meet the butler and judge, Sebastian, who reveals the Sootopolis battlefield to be a large swimming pool. Sebastian further explains the complicated rules of the Gym—each participant will use five Pokémon, with the first round being a Double Battle, the second round being a series of three one-on-one battles. Juan explains that this Gym is designed to test the challenger's ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

Juan chooses Sealeo and Seaking to start the first round, while Dwayne begins his battle with Absol and Vibrava. Absol begins the round with a Dark Pulse against Sealeo. Juan uses Seaking's Horn Drill to deflect the Dark Pulse back against Absol, who takes the attack directly. Dwayne directs another Dark Pulse attack from Absol, which Seaking again deflects with its Horn Drill. Dwayne is ready for it this time, and has Vibrava block the attack with Protect. Juan then orders a Blizzard attack from Sealeo. Dwayne has Vibrava retaliate with Rock Slide, freezing the Blizzard into a boulder of ice. Juan's Pokémon destroy the frozen ball with Sealeo's Aurora Beam and Seaking's Hyper Beam, but Dwayne takes advantage of situation by ordering his Pokémon to leap across the trail of ice fragments. Absol closes with Quick Attack while Vibrava attacks with Earth Power. Juan counters with the much more powerful Aurora Beam and Hyper Beam. While Absol is able to break off his attack in time to dodge Aurora Beam, Vibrava is hit by the Hyper Beam and faints. Dwayne recalls Vibrava and sends out Corphish to take his place. Corphish opens with a Water Gun, which Sealeo and Seaking dodge by diving. Juan uses this opportunity to mount an underwater attack against Dwayne's Pokémon by using Aurora Beam and Horn Attack. Absol jumps out of the way and Corphish is able to grab Seaking by the horn before it can attack, but Juan orders Seaking to use Horn Attack, which sends Corphish flying. Absol successfully uses Razor Wind on Seaking and narrowly dodges an Aurora Beam from Sealeo. Absol's attack leaves Seaking unable to battle.

Absol reappears a moment later "surfing" on Corphish. Juan orders several Ice Balls, which Dwayne initially deflects with Corphish's Crunch while Absol uses Razor Wind. Dwayne knows that Ice Ball becomes more powerful and takes longer to launch every time and so plans to move in the gap after the third ice ball. However, Sealeo launches the third ball extremely quickly and hits both Absol and Corphish. Juan orders a fifth Ice Ball as a coup de'grace, but is surprised when Absol is able to destroy it with Hyper Beam. As the shards of ice rain down on the distracted Sealeo, Corphish moves in with Aqua Jet, which leaves Sealeo unable to battle. The Gym match advances to the second round, with the field changing to a lake with several towers and more land.

Dwayne calls out his Grovyle and Juan chooses his Luvdisc. Grovyle immediately uses Bullet Seed, which Luvdisc dodges and counters with Water Pulse. Grovyle dodges and moves in with Leaf Blade, which Luvdisc then dodges and counters with Sweet Kiss. Grovyle is hit and becomes confused. Dwayne orders Grovyle to move, who instead begins bashing its head into a nearby pillar. Dwayne decides to call back Grovyle, but Dwayne isn't quick enough — Grovyle is defeated by a timely Water Gun from Luvdisc. After Grovyle faints, Dwayne chooses Corphish, who is tired from fighting during the first round, to replace it.

Dwayne orders Corphish to open with a Water Gun, which Luvdisc deftly dodges and counters with a Water Gun of its own. Corphish manages to dodge the successive Sweet Kiss and counters with Crabhammer. Luvdisc easily dodges this attack as well and dives down. Dwayne orders Corphish to use Crabhammer on the water surface, which acts like a depth charge and knocks Luvdisc up out of the water. However, Luvdisc eludes Corphish's Crunch and uses its Ability Swift Swim, which takes effect because Corphish's Crabhammer created "rain" by spraying water. Though Luvdisc attacks Corphish with another Water Gun, Corphish manages to dodge and suppress the mist with Aqua Jet, which disables Swift Swim. Corphish hits Luvdisc with a Crunch, taking it out.

For the second battle of the round, Juan calls out his Whiscash. Corphish attacks Whiscash with Water Gun, which Whiscash blocks with a surge of Surf. Whiscash retaliates with Rock Smash, which renders Corphish unable to battle. Dwayne calls out Altaria next, and starts the battle with an Aerial Ace. However, Altaria is almost immediately grabbed by Whiscash's barbels, which Juan uses to deliver a Tickle attack, followed by a Hyper Beam. Altaria is thrown back so hard that it knocks over the pillar its back slammed into. Despite a direct hit and extreme damage, Altaria is still able to battle and zooming out of the dust cloud, it counters with Aerial Ace. Whiscash dives to dodge, but the Aerial Ace allows Altaria to dive in and hit Whiscash from underneath, throwing it upward out of the water and into the air. Whiscash uses a barbel to snag a pillar, swinging back around and uses Hyper Beam in mid-air, but Altaria evades. Altaria switches into a Dragon Breath followed by an Aerial Ace which knocks Whiscash out of the match. Juan commends Dwayne and Altaria, impressed that Altaria could go from Dragon Breath straight into Aerial Ace. This leaves only one Pokémon left for Juan.

As expected, Juan calls out his Milotic, his strongest Pokémon. Milotic opens with Hydro Pump, which Altaria dodges with Aerial Ace and strikes Milotic dead on. Milotic recovers and counters with Iron Tail, though Altaria uses Mist to avoid being hit. To clear the mist, Milotic whips up a Twister, pushing Altaira up until she slams into the ceiling and renders her unable to battle. Dwayne is now left with only one Pokémon — Absol. Dwayne uses the dubious reasoning that Milotic will block any attacks he cares to use, so he should start with the most powerful attack at his disposal: Absol's Hyper Beam. Milotic takes the attack head on, but Juan does not seem concerned. Moments later, Milotic uses Recover, effectively negating the damage. Juan comments that Milotic learned this tactic during Juan's days as a Coordinator, since in Pokémon Contests it is important for a Pokémon to maintain a pristine appearance no matter what phase of the competition. Absol and Milotic exchange Quick Attack and Iron Tail, respectively, with the exchange ending badly for Absol. Milotic also uses Twister, which catches Absol. However, Absol destroys the Twister with Razor Wind, and counters with a Quick Attack. Though Absol hits, Milotic quickly counters with a Hydro Pump, which Absol dodges and counters with a Dark Pulse. Milotic takes the Dark Pulse and uses Recover to replenish its health, leaving Dwayne not much better off. Milotic dives, surfaces, and uses Iron Tail and Hydro Pump, both of which Absol dodges. Absol grabs Milotic and flips it into the water and then uses Hyper Beam. After a brief explosion, Milotic and Absol surface — Absol still standing, but Milotic in a dead faint. Dwayne is declared the winner.

Juan congratulates Dwayne on turning an almost certain defeat into victory, and gives him a Rain Badge as proof of his victory at the Sootopolis Gym. This leaves Dwayne with all eight Badges necessary to enter the Hoenn League. Juan congratulates Dwayne on his victory, and informs him that the Ever Grande Conference will take place in three months at Ever Grande City. After leaving Sootopolis City, Dwayne begins making his way towards Slateport City, wanting to decide where to head to next after arriving there. While making a stop in the middle of a forest, Dwayne sees a rice ball rolling down a hill, followed by a familiar figure: Layla. Once they exchange greetings, Dwayne asks Layla whether she obtained all of her Badges, and Layla says she's only missing one, and Dwayne shows off all his eight Badges, which leaves Layla both impressed and envious. She then challenges him to a battle, to which Dwayne accepts.

Both Trainers decide to make it one-on-one, and Layla chooses her Breloom. Happy to see that Shroomish had evolved, Dwayne decides to choose Combusken, as both Trainers were familiar with each other's Pokémon. The battle starts, with Layla ordering Breloom to use Seed Bomb, but Combusken effortlessly blocks with Flamethrower. Layla then orders Breloom to use Mach Punch, but Combusken retaliates with Quick Attack, and both attacks clash and both Pokémon are sent flying. Layla then orders Breloom to use Dynamic Punch, but Combusken takes the attack head-on, which confuses Layla as to why he didn't dodge. As Combusken withstands the heavy damage, Dwayne orders him to use Reversal, a move that causes more damage the more the user is damaged, and Combusken scores a direct hit, which knocks out Breloom.

As Combusken roars in victory, he suddenly begins evolving into Blaziken, much to both Dwayne and Layla's joy. After evolving, Blaziken shakes hands with Breloom, who despite showing respect towards him, is nonetheless angry about his loss, and doesn't hide his explosive temper, shooting out his Seed Bomb at a nearby tree to calm himself down. Layla laughs at Breloom's temper, but says that she liked that about him, using his anger as motivation to become stronger. When Dwayne asks Layla which Gym she would challenge next, Layla mentions the Petalburg Gym, having always decided to leave her mother's Gym for last as a symbol of her growth. Dwayne smiles at this, and says that he was looking foward to meeting her at the Hoenn League. Both Trainers shake hands and head their separate ways, intending to meet again at the tournament.

Three months later, Dwayne is ready to depart towards Ever Grande City for the Hoenn League. Dwayne is on the deck of a ship, with Ever Grande City and the site of Hoenn League's Ever Grande Conference now in sight. With one week until the tournament starts, Dwayne has some serious training to do. However, his stomach growls and he decides to have lunch first, and reads his guidebook to find the best restaurant in the city. After arriving in Ever Grande City, and as he makes his way down a narrow back street somewhere in the city, Dwayne wonders if he went the right way. An opportunistic flock of Murkrow goes on the attack, stealing his guidebook in the process. The attack continues until a Corviknight swoops in out of nowhere, and drives the Murkrow off with a Steel Wing. Checking her Pokédex, Dwayne learns that Corviknight was a Pokémon native to the Galar region, and after a sudden burst of realization, Dwayne turns around to see Raven waving at him. Dwayne and Raven exchange greetings, with Raven saying that she was also participating in the Hoenn League and was glad to meet Dwayne again, and upon learning that Dwayne was heading to the restaurant she was, Raven decides to invite Dwayne along for lunch.

During the meal, Raven explains that she caught Corviknight shortly after returning to Galar, and it quickly became one of her most trusted Pokémon. After Dwayne questions her Pokémon further, Raven explains that she left her Alcremie, Stantler, Sneasel, and Ursaring at home, bringing only Cinderace and Duraludon with her. The conversation continues, with bonding between them, until Raven notices the time. She has to get going, or she'll be late. As she rushes outside, Dwayne follows behind, asking why she was in such a hurry, and Raven reveals that she is a torch runner so she has to get to the Pokémon Center to collect the sacred flame.

Outside the Center, League President Charles Goodshow, together with the local Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy and a small crowd of spectators, are waiting for the flame to arrive. The flame soon arrives by a police motorcade, just as Raven reaches the Center and apologizes for being late. Then, Dwayne arrives and the League President greets Dwayne by name, with Dwayne expressing surprise that Mr. Goodshow remembers him, and Mr. Goodshow simply exclaims that he never forgets any of his torch runners. Raven sets off running with the flame, and Dwayne is about to set off for the stadium on foot when Goodshow's limo pulls up, and he invites him to join him for the ride, since they're all heading to the same place. As Raven runs along a route lined with people, the limo takes a back road. As it goes over a hill, Dwayne gets his first view of the stadium complex for the tournament. Goodshow points out the stadium’s Pokémon Center where registration and announcements will take place.

Dwayne registers for the competition, and receives the official guide to the tournament. Dwayne asks Nurse Joy whether Trainers named Layla, Jannette, and Josie have registered, but Joy states that Josie and Jannette has registered, but Layla hadn't yet. On a screen above the registration desk, Raven has arrived at the stadium complex, not visibly tired at all from the long run. The day before the Ever Grande Conference is due to begin, Dwayne continues his training regime with his Pokémon. During the session, Blaziken unleashes a Flamethrower and scores an unintentional direct hit on Layla, who had just arrived. After recovering, Layla reveals her eighth Badge to Dwayne, admitting that she can now compete in the Hoenn League, which Dwayne congratulates her on. Spotting the rest of Dwayne's Pokémon team, Layla calls out her team for comparison: Breloom, Beautifly, Swellow, Steelix, Medicham, and Exploud, all of which receive approving comments from Dwayne, especially Swellow as it was Shiny.

When Dwayne hears an announcement about the registration time nearly ending, Dwayne frantically reminds Layla that she still needs to register for the Conference. Scared that she might not be able to take part in the League after all her hard work of collecting Badges, Layla instantly runs off to register, leaving a trail of dust behind her. At the Pokémon Center, Layla manages to register for the tournament with five minutes to spare and reunites with Dwayne, while also meeting Raven, Jannette, and Josie. The preliminaries, a set of one-on-one matches, kick off the Ever Grande Conference, with Josie being up first, and selects her Bagon to take on a Trainer's Electabuzz. To start things off, Josie orders a Double-Edge attack, and Bagon immediately fires itself right at the opposing Electabuzz. Electabuzz does not seem worried, and uses Protect. Electabuzz does so, shielding itself with its arms. This defensive maneuver pays off, as the force of its attack being blocked sends Bagon flying back and smashing into the battlefield. Josie tells Bagon to get up, as Dwayne watches on worried. Josie orders a Dragon Claw, and once again, Electabuzz simply uses Protect again. This has the same result as last time, and Bagon is once again sent flying back.

Changing his tactics, Electabuzz jumps up above Bagon and charges up its throbbing arm with powerful electrical energy, and smashes right into Bagon with a Thunder Punch. Josie calls out to Bagon, who is struggling to get up after the point-blank attack it just received. As Bagon struggles to get back up, Electabuzz prepares a Thunderbolt. Upon hearing Josie's pleas, Bagon leaps out of the way and lets out a roar, suddenly evolving into Shelgon. Electabuzz leaps towards Shelgon to deliver another Thunder Punch, but Josie orders a Zen Headbutt just in time, which overpowers Thunder Punch and causes Electabuzz to flinch, which allows Shelgon to deliver a devastating Double-Edge, knocking out Electabuzz and allowing Josie to advance in the tournament.

Dwayne, Josie meet up with Jannette and Layla, both of which also managed to win their first matches, make their way to another stadium, this time to support Raven and Corviknight in their preliminary match against a Trainer and his Charmeleon. The referee starts the match and Corviknight instantly dashes towards Charmeleon without even waiting for an attack order. Dwayne, Layla, Josie, and Jannette are shocked by this sudden action, but Raven remains calm and orders a Steel Wing attack. Corviknight extends its wings and launches itself towards Charmeleon, but its vicious Steel Wing is dodged by Charmeleon's incredible leap. Seeing an opening, Charmeleon uses Fire Punch as it lands, and successfully scores a direct hit. Raven orders a Brave Bird and Corviknight dashes towards Charmeleon. Unfazed by Corviknight's counterattack, Charmeleon retaliates with Fire Blast, and Corviknight gets blasted back to the other side of the arena, but manages to land on its feet.

Charmeleon then uses Mega Kick, which smashes Corviknight right into the stadium wall. Not one to give up however, Corviknight thrusts himself forward as Raven orders Iron Head, sending Charmeleon spiraling backwards. Raven instantly orders a follow up Hyper Beam, and Charmeleon is sent smashing into the ground and out for the count. The referee announces that it is unable to battle, declaring that Raven and Corviknight are the winners. However, Corviknight does not want the battle to end there, and it extends its wings once again and flies towards the fallen Charmeleon. Raven attempts to hold her Pokémon back, but it frees itself from its Trainer's grasp and dashes towards Charmeleon as the crowd are left startled by the ferocity. But before it can attack, Raven recalls Corviknight back to its Poké Ball, gazing at it in concern.

After the match, Raven details when she first encountered Corviknight to Dwayne, Jannette, Layla, and Josie. Raven explains that one day, while she was traveling through a snow-covered forest, she happened across a pack of wild Rookidee and Corvisquire, headed by Corviknight, who was battling against a Charizard, but was losing badly as the rest of the pack watched on. Charizard used Fire Punch, knocking Corviknight away, and then Flamethrower to knock the Raven Pokémon down and out. As Charizard walked away in victory, Corviknight's pack simply expressed their disappointment in their leader and abandoned it, leaving the injured Corviknight alone in the snow. Raven then explains how she took Corviknight in and nursed it back to health, and bandaged up its damaged wings. As Raven finishes off her story, Dwayne, Jannette, Layla, and Josie come to understand Corviknight's hatred towards the Charizard evolutionary line.

Later, Dwayne's preliminary battle, against a young, martial arts user called Gilbert and his Hitmonlee while Dwayne battles with Corphish. Josie, Raven, Layla, and Jannette cheer Dwayne on from the audience, and the referee starts the battle off. Both Corphish and Hitmonlee charge towards each other, with Gilbert commanding a Rolling Kick, and Dwayne ordering Crunch. Hitmonlee leaps towards Corphish and kicks hard with his extendable legs. Though Corphish quickly dodges and quickly unleashes his Crunch on Dwayne's command, sending Hitmonlee crashing down to earth. Gilbert tells Hitmonlee to use High Jump Kick, and Hitmonlee attempts to hit Corphish while combining his attack with forward flips. Corphish, however, uses his speed to dodge all three kicks, leading Hitmonlee further and further towards the stadium wall.

Seeing his chance, Hitmonlee thrusts forward to attack, but Corphish makes a last minute dash to safety, causing Hitmonlee to hurt his knee against the hard surface of the stadium wall. Both Pokémon land and face-off, but Hitmonlee starts to feel the pain of his strained leg. As Hitmonlee's legs are his main source of attacking, they are also his weak spot, and so Gilbert senses that he'll have to end the battle fast, even if it means taking a risk. Gilbert tells Hitmonlee to use Mega Kick. The Fighting Pokémon responds, and smashes his foot hard into Corphish, but Corphish manages to use his pincers to grab ahold of Hitmonee's leg. As Hitmonlee struggles to free itself, Corphish begins battering him, slamming around by keeping its leg trapped within his pincers. With Hitmonlee's leg still trapped, Corphish suddenly evolves into Crawdaunt. However, this makes Gilbert happy as upon evolving, Crawdaunt becomes a Dark-type, which are weak against Fighting-types. However, Crawdaunt blasts Hitmonlee away with Dark Pulse, which leaves it staggered. Thinking fast, Dwayne orders an Aqua Jet before Hitmonlee can recover. The impact of the attacks cause an explosion to occur, and when the smoke clears, Hitmonlee falls to the ground, and Crawdaunt is declared the winner.

Afterwards, Dwayne is selected for an honor – to carry the sacred flame up to the stadium torch. Watching on television are Jethro, Gwendolyn, and Elizabeth. Dwayne lights the torch to mark the end of the preliminary matches, while the celebration balloons float off into the distance. While Dwayne waits for the match-ups for the second round of the Ever Grande Conference, Nurse Joy explains the next round of battles are Double Battles and that three wins are required to advance. She presents the match-ups to the crowd, and Dwayne learns that his next battle will take place in Stadium C.

Dwayne makes it to his Stadium C battle against Dominick from Inua Town. Dwayne chooses Dragonair and Vibrava while Dominick sends out Tropius and Swalot. Tropius starts off by flying up in the air and whips a Razor Leaf, but Dragonair's usage of Twister thrashes the leaves into nothingness. Tropius then tries a Bullet Seed, which proves futile against Vibrava's Dragon Breath. Swalot then attacks Vibrava with a Sludge Bomb as Tropius uses Gust to send Dragonair flying. Vibrava lands a direct hit on Tropius with a Dragon Breath, but his opponent dodges the follow up Rock Slide, much to Dwayne's frustration. Dragonair dodges Swalot's Body Slam and replies with a Hidden Power, which simply slides off Swalot’s expandable body.

Tropius defends against Dragonair's and Vibrava's combined attacks. Tropius begins charging up for a Solar Beam attack, so Dragonair and Vibrava lashes it with a Breaking Swipe and Rock Slide, respectively. As Tropius finally launches its Solar Beam, Dragonair counters with Twister. The two attacks collide, resulting in a large explosion that knocks Tropius and Dragonair both out. Dominick is unfazed and has Swalot's use two Sludge Bomb attacks to injure Vibrava. Vibrava is then hit by a Body Slam, which it soon escapes with Earth Power. Vibrava is then struck down by a barrage of Shadow Balls. Dwayne has Vibrava rush towards its opponent, and dodge an incoming Shadow Ball by digging underground. Vibrava eventaully resufarces and charges towards Swalot, who simply open its mouth and grabs ahold of Vibrava with it. Seeing this as a good attack, Dwayne has Vibrava fire off Dragon Breath in Swalot's mouth. A minor explodes occurs from the internal pressures and Swalot faints. Dwayne wins and qualifies to the next round.

Afterwards, Dwayne, Jannette, Josie, Raven, and Layla all have advanced to the third stage of the tournament. As they relax in the Pokémon Center cafeteria, Dwayne and Layla are initially disappointed to learn that the next day will be a rest day. Nonetheless the pair use the day to their advantage to continue training for the many Ever Grande Conference matches still to come. From now on, all of their matches will be Full Battles; six-on-six matches on changing battlefields. When Dwayne looks at the screen, Dwayne discovers that his next opponent would be Jannette, and Dwayne becomes excited, having longed for a rematch against her.

The next day, Dwayne is getting ready to face Jannette. The battlefield is selected by the computer as a craggy rock battlefield. Dwayne uses Vibrava while Jannette sends out a Hypno. Vibrava blocks Thunder Wave with Supersonic, which Hypno renders unusable with Disable. Vibrava uses Dragon Breath, but Jannette quickly returns Hypno and calls out Marshtomp. Dwayne orders Vibrava to use Rock Slide, but Marshtomp sends Vibrava flying with a Hydro Pump and then cuts it down with Take Down.

With Vibrava defeated, Dwayne sends Gardevoir into the arena. Jannette responds by recalling Marshtomp and sending out Dugtrio. Gardevoir uses a Shadow Ball, but Dugtrio Digs to dodge, and then uses Sand Tomb to engulf the ground in an ever-growing sand trap. Sliding down the ominous pit, Gardevoir tries using Moonblast, but Gardevoir cannot charge up the attack because of the shaking sand-trap. As Gardevoir gets swallowed up, Dugtrio retaliates with Double-Edge, sending Gardevoir flying out of the pit, and she gets knocked out. Dwayne quickly recalls Gardevoir and proceeds to send out Absol. Dugtrio escapes underground, but is forced above by Absol's Quick Attack on the ground. Using this opportunity, Absol knocks it out with a Hyper Beam. Jannette sends out Wynaut, but after taking a Dark Pulse and Razor Wind, Wynaut uses Destiny Bond. Wynaut faints, but then suddenly, Absol glows purple and collapses as well. Dwayne now has three remaining Pokémon while Jannette has four, so the match is set to continue.

Due to Dwayne having three of his Pokémon knocked out, the field has been changed from a rock field to a water field. The two competitors choose Pokémon perfect for the water; Dwayne sends out Crawdaunt, and Jannette calls on her Marshtomp to battle again. Dwayne orders Crawdaunt to use Crabhammer, and Jannette responds by telling Marshtomp to use Rock Smash. However, the continuous strikes from both Pokémon match blow for blow, canceling out. Jannette then orders Marshtomp to use Hydro Pump, which Dwayne counters by telling Crawdaunt to jump and use Crabhammer. Jannette does not seem worried, however, and tells Marshtomp to use its Mud Shot, stopping Crawdaunt in mid-air. Crawaunt gets flung across the arena and into the water by the attack. Dwayne calls out to Crawdaunt, who is dazed from Marshtomp's attack. Crawdaunt falls straight into the arena's water. As the announcer and Marshtomp wonder where Crawdaunt could be, Jannette looks on confidently. Crawdaunt manages to sneak up to Marshtomp unnoticed before lashing its opponent with a successful Crabhammer to the face, sending it reeling. Jannette grits her teeth as Crawdaunt lands safely on one of the arena platforms, before ordering her fallen Marshtomp to use Take Down. Marshtomp does so, leaping towards Crawdaunt. However, just before Marshtomp can hit, Crawdaunt blasts Marshtomp it into the stadium wall with a Dark Pulse, knocking it out.

Jannette returns Marshtomp and calls back Hypno. Jannette orders Hypno to use Headbutt, but Dwayne recalls Crawdaunt before Hypno can land the attack. Pondering on his next choice, Dwayne decides to select Altaria. Jannette responds by telling Hypno to use Thunder Wave, though Altaria dodges and uses Sky Attack. Jannette tells Hypno to use Disable to prevent Altaria from using Sky Attack again. Dwayne confidently replies that Altaria has other attacks, and tells Altaria to use Mist, which blocks Hypno's line of sight. Dwayne then orders Altaria to use Dragon Breath, which lands a direct hit on Hypno, knocking it out.

Jannette recalls Hypno and sends out her Torkoal. Dwayne begins this match-up by telling Altaria to use the now-recovered Sky Attack. Jannette orders Torkoal to use Rapid Spin, and the two Pokémon speed towards each other, trading blows repeatedly in mid-air. They eventually stop and face off. Jannette then orders Torkoal to use Shell Smash, greating increasing its attack and speed, but at the cost of its defense. Jannette then orders a Flamethrower, but Altaria manages to dodge and uses Sky Attack, but Torkoal uses another Shell Smash, enhanced its attack and speed even more, allowing him to dodge the attack. Torkoal then scores a direct hit with Overheat, which severely damages Altaria. As Jannette orders another Shell Smash, Dwayne suddenly has an idea and orders Altaria to use Sky Attack again. However, as Altaria approaches Torkoal, Dwayne commands her to aim towards the pool, which leaves Jannette confused. Altaria does, which causes a massive splash of water to rain down upon Torkoal, who clearly dislikes it, and Jannette realizes Dwayne's intentions, and Altaria quickly follows up with Mist, and with Torkoal's Fire-type attacks weakened by the water, and the Mist blockings its vision, Altaria manages to knock it out with Dragon Breath, as Torkoal's defenses were greatly weakened by Shell Smash.

Down to her last Pokémon, Jannette falls silent for a few seconds before sending out her Sceptile. Dwayne, excited that victory is close, orders Altaria to use Sky Attack again. However, due to Sceptile's Detect, Altaria's attack misses. Jannette then commands Sceptile to use Energy Ball, forcing Altaria to make an evasive dodge to avoid it, though the tip of its wing gets struck as a result. Dwayne orders a Dragon Breath attack. Jannette counters by telling Sceptile to go underwater, causing Altaria's attack to miss. Dwayne grits his teeth and Jannette confidently orders the submerged Sceptile to use Solar Beam. The attack lands a direct hit, forcing Altaria to crash onto the floor outside of the arena, knocked out.

Jannette and Sceptile confidently look on as the announcer comments that Dwayne has two Pokémon remaining. Dwayne, limited in choice, sends out an exhausted Crawdaunt. Jannette orders Sceptile to use Leaf Blade while Dwayne calls for Dark Pulse. However, Sceptile's Leaf Blade cuts through the Dark Pulse and scores a direct hit, which knocks out Crawdaunt.

Dwayne has no option but to send out his Grovyle, which the announcer notes is Dwayne's last Pokémon. Grovyle emerges from his Poké Ball onto one of the stadium platforms, pulls out its twig, and eyes the competition, remembering the last battle he had against Jannette's ace. Jannette starts the final match-up by ordering Sceptile to use Energy Ball. Following orders, Grovyle leaps over Energy Ball, but Jannette orders Sceptile to dodge by diving underwater and Grovyle lands on Sceptile's platform, unable to make Leaf Blade connect. While Grovyle looks around for his opponent, Jannette orders Sceptile to use Energy Ball. Sceptile quickly emerges from the water and fires the attack, landing a direct hit. Grovyle smirks and gets back up, shooting a look at Sceptile before it dives underwater once again. Sceptile repeatedly emerges in various areas of the pool while Dwayne looks on in frustration. Suddenly, Dwayne decides to take a gamble, and orders Grovyle to leap high up in the air. As everyone looks on confused by Dwayne's strategy, Dwayne yells out to Grovyle, commanding him to put all of his power into a Mega Kick aimed at the pool. Grovyle's sky high Mega Kicks rains down towards the pool and the sheer impact, causing the water in the pool to completely splash out of it, emptying the pool entirely, and removing Sceptile's underwater advantage, taking Jannette by surprise.

Dwayne orders Grovyle to use Quick Attack, the force of which sends Sceptile flying into the arena wall and kicks up a cloud of dust. Dwayne shouts encouragement to Grovyle as he smoothly lands. Jannette then orders Sceptile to use Energy Ball, but Grovyle uses Leaf Blade to cut the attack in half. Jannette orders a second Energy Ball, but this time, Grovyle uses Mega Kick to bat the attack back towards Sceptile, who takes it head-on. As both Grovyle and Sceptile show signs of exhaustion, Dwayne and Jannette realize the ending of their battle was at hand, and both command their respective Pokémon to use Leaf Blade. As Grovyle and Sceptile charge towards each other, Dwayne orders Grovyle to switch over to Quick Attack at the last second, allowing him to evade and strike Sceptile from behind, before following up with a Leaf Blade onto Sceptile's back. As Grovyle and Sceptile stand still for a brief moment, Sceptile falls down, unconscious. The referee proclaims that Sceptile is unable to battle and that Dwayne is the winner. As Grovyle lets out a victorious roar, he suddenly begins to glow and evolves into Sceptile himself. Not being a sore loser, Jannette approaches Dwayne to thanks him for the great battle and the two Trainers shake hands. Afterwards, Raven, Josie, and Layla also perform well in their respective matches, advancing to the next stage—The Final 16.

Afterwards, the group happily talk about the tournament. Layla is proud of how far she has gotten in her first tournament as a Pokémon Trainer. Before the conversation can go any further, Dwayne's PokéNav alerts him to the next battle match-ups being announced. Once they see the results, Dwayne is shocked to find he and Layla pitted against each other. Layla is particularly stunned as she falls completely silent. Dwayne turns to Layla and tries to cheer her up, but the shock is too much. She walks out of the Pokémon Center visibly downtrodden. The next day, the Full Battle between Dwayne and Layla begins. The stadium flame makes for the perfect backdrop as the field of choice this time around is the ice field. Back in Petalburg City, Gwendolyn, Jethro and Elizabeth watch from the television, although Gwendolyn notes that Layla seemed depressed, and Jethro comments that she was probably sad to be facing Dwayne so early in the tournament, and Elizabeth theorises that Layla was actually upset to have to face Dwayne at all.

Dwayne starts the battle off by sending out Absol. Layla responds, halfheartedly calling out Medicham. The referee declares the battle started, and Dwayne orders Absol to use Quick Attack. Layla, with her confidence shaken, tells Medicham to use Light Screen, which proves ineffective against a physical attack like Quick Attack. Absol crashes through the Light Screen and smashes onto Medicham's head. Medicham manages to the damage off, and Layla hesitantly orders it to use Pound. Absol slides straight into a curved upright icicle, allowing him to scuttle away from the attack. Medicham, unable to stop in time, gets injured as it rams into the icicle. Dwayne orders Absol to attack again, but Medicham slips and falls on the icy floor, causing Absol to miss. Dwayne then quickly has Absol slide onto one of the smaller icicles, allowing it to loop around and attack Medicham once again. Layla desperately orders Medicham to use Force Palm, though Absol manages to dodge before attacking with Razor Wind, knocking Medicham out. Layla gasps at her fallen Pokémon, before silently calling it back. Instead of sending out her next Pokémon, Layla stands there, petrified by indecision. The referee urges Layla to call out her next Pokémon, but Layla cannot concentrate. The announcer remarks that unless Layla sends out a Pokémon soon, it will count as a forfeit and Dwayne will win the battle.

Just before the referee disqualifies Layla for not choosing a Pokémon, Dwayne interrupts him, stating that Layla can still battle. Layla hastily sends out her Exploud to take on Absol. Absol begins the battle by firing Dark Pulse at Growlithe. Layla tells Exploud to evade the attack continuously, still unable to take any offensive action towards her friend and rival. Absol delivers a devastating Hyper Beam to Exploud, knocking it out. Layla tells Exploud that it did an excellent job. Dwayne, however, demands to know why Layla will not put up a serious fight and harshly attacks her honor, telling her that she might as well quit now if she does not battle like she means it. Layla says she does not need to be told that and apologizes to Exploud for her weak actions, but Exploud doesn't seem upset. With renewed vigor, Layla yells loudly and promises Dwayne real battling spirit. Layla's family are relieved at this change, and so are Raven and Josie in the stands.

Layla chooses Beautifly as her third Pokémon. Absol and Beautifly clash their Dark Pulse and Bug Buzz attacks with tremendous power. Dwayne and Layla exchange excited proclamations of their fighting spirit. Beautifly blasts a Silver Wind to match Absol's Razor Wind, but both Pokémon seem evenly matched. Absol uses Quick Attack while Beautifly uses Aerial Ace, but each attack hits the other Pokémon in the face, knocking them both out.

Since Layla has lost three Pokémon, the battle goes into intermission. During the break, Layla apologizes to Dwayne for her previous actions. She goes on to say that she usually relishes victory, but when she realized that Dwayne was her next opponent, she did not know what to do. Dwayne's scolding made Layla realize that fighting with all one has is what a real friend would do. Dwayne agrees, saying that they should finish the second round at full power. The Trainers shake hands and each refuse to lose.

The second half of the round will take place on a grass field. Dwayne chooses Crawdaunt as his second Pokémon to battle Layla's fourth selection, Steelix. Steelix spews Dragon Breath, but Crawdaunt dodges and uses Crabhammer. Steelix counters with a devastating Iron Tail. Steelix disappears underground and batters Crawdaunt into the air with Dig. Dwayne tells Crawdaunt to not give up and respond with Aqua Jet. Steelix dives underground to evade and smashes Crawdaunt into the air yet again. Crawdaunt lands a direct hit with Dark Pulse, but Layla shouts to Steelix to not give up. Both Crawdaunt and Steelix are commanded to use Crabhammer and Iron Tail, respectively, and the clash sends off blue energy in streaks. Crawdaunt is knocked to the ground by the clash and declared unable to battle, leaving Dwayne with four available Pokémon and Layla with three.

Dwayne releases Vibrava as his third Pokémon choice. Steelix uses Dragon Breath, which Vibrava dodges. Then, Vibrava uses Rock Slide while Steelix unleashes a second round of Dragon Breath, both attacks clashing. Rock Slide proves more powerful and lands a direct hit on Steelix. Vibrava unleashes Dragon Breath while Steelix also returns with the same attack. This time, the result is an explosive draw. Using the resulting cloud of smoke as cover, Steelix escapes underground. Vibrava guards itself against Steelix's Dig by flying upwards. Steelix immediately switches to Dragon Breath, hitting and knocking out Vibrava. This leaves Dwayne and Layla tied with three usable Pokémon each.

Dwayne chooses Sceptile as his fourth Pokémon. Steelix unleashes its Iron Tail right from the start, but Sceptile quickly dodges it, impressing Layla with its speed. Sceptile fires Bullet Seed at Steelix, who burrows into the ground once again in retreat. Dwayne tells Sceptile to prepare to dodge, and Sceptile dodges Steelix's Dig, but now Layla calls Steelix to use Dragon Breath. Dwayne calls for Sceptile to use Leaf Blade in order to power through Dragon Breath. Leaf Blade shields Sceptile as he makes his way to land the attack, knocking out Steelix. Layla matches Sceptile's speed by calling out her Shiny Swellow as her fifth Pokémon. Sceptile uses Quick Attack but Swellow swiftly dodges it and performs Steel Wing. Sceptile barely dodges Swellow's onslaught of attacks by hiding in the tall grass on the field. Sceptile jumps into the air and uses Bullet Seed, striking Swellow. Sceptile once again retreats back into the grass and Swellow pursues with Steel Wing. Sceptile leaps onto Swellow to perform Leaf Blade, but Layla tells Swellow to shake him off. Free-falling through the air, Sceptile tries Leaf Storm, but Layla commands Swellow to use Aerial Ace whilst spinning, and this allows Swellow to easily cut through the Leaf Storm and score a direct hit onto Sceptile's neck, and Swellow slams him into the ground. The attack is successful and Sceptile is declared unable to battle, leaving both Dwayne and Layla with two usable Pokémon.

Dwayne releases Altaria as his fifth Pokémon. Swellow attempts to quickly end it with Aerial Ace, but Altaria responds with a defensive Cotton Guard. Swellow bounces off Altaria's fluffy puff of cotton, allowing Altaria to retaliate with Dragon Breath. Swellow dodges and responds with Reversal, but Altaria evades with Mist. However, Swellow's Aerial Ace lands a direct hit, sending Altaria plummeting toward the ground. Altaria barely recovers by using Sky Attack, which Swellow matches with Steel Wing. Both Pokémon collide in mid-air, creating a large cloud of dust. Both Pokémon are told to repeat their attacks, resulting in another violent collision. The Trainers call for the same attacks again, resulting in a third collision and a huge explosion. Altaria and Swellow fall to the ground, unable to battle. This leaves both Dwayne and Layla with only one Pokémon each.

As their final Pokémon Dwayne chooses Blaziken while Layla releases Breloom. Blaziken performs Blaze Kick, which Breloom matches with Mach Punch. The Pokémon collide, but Breloom takes the brunt of the damage. Then, Breloom responds with Seed Bomb, but Blaziken's Flamethrower burns the seeds into ash. Blaziken follows up with Stone Edge, but Breloom uses Dynamic Punch to shatter the rock pillars into pieces. Layla then orders Breloom to use Growth, increasing its attack power, and Blaziken retaliates by using Flamethrower, but Breloom quickly uses Mach Punch, allowing him to dodge the attack and score a direct hit against Blaziken. As Blaziken staggers, Layla commands a barrage of Mach Punches, and Blaziken gets battered by the onslaught of attacks. As Dwayne tries to come up with a stategy, he notices a tip of the grass burned from Blaziken's earlier attack, and suddenly has a new idea in mind. After Blaziken manages to dodge the attacks, Dwayne orders him to blast the field with multiple Flamethrowers, and soon enough, the entire grass field starts to catch on fire, which also causes the fire to spread and engulf Breloom, leaving it severely burned.

As the announcer comments on Dwayne's unorthodox, yet brilliant, strategy, Dwayne orders Blaziken to use Stone Edge, and Breloom gets smashed by the rock pillars and sent flying. While free-falling, Breloom tries to use Seed Bomb, but its burn status kicks in again, cancelling the attack, and allowing Blaziken to score a direct Blaze Kick right on its face, and Breloom plummets to the ground, knocked out, and the referee declares Dwayne and Blaziken as the winners. Dwayne and Blaziken celebrate with a hug as the crowd applauds the amazing battle they'd just witnessed. Having won the battle, Dwayne will now advance to the Top 8 of the Hoenn League.

The next battle pits Josie against Raven in a grass field. Dwayne is somewhat conflicted, wishing to have had the chance to battle both Trainers during the tournament, although one of them was about to be eliminated, but nonetheless decides to cheer for both. As the battle commences, Raven sends out Cinderace to battle first, while Josie sends out her Heracross. Dwayne finds it weird that Raven was choosing Cinderace from the start, as she often saves him for last. Raven tells Cinderace to use Flamethrower whilst Josie has Heracross use Hyper Beam, and the two attacks collide. Josie then commands Heracross to use Horn Attack, but Cinderace intercepts it with Pyro Ball, knocking out Heracross with one shot.

Josie recalls Heracross and sends out Vigoroth, whom she commands to use Flamethrower as Raven commands Cinderace to use Mega Kick. Cinderace's Mega Kick pushes through the Flamethrower, and slams into Vigoroth, sending it crashingo onto the wall, knocking it out in one shot as well, and Josie is quickly realizing that Raven and Cinderace were on a class of their own, and on the stands, Dwayne notes on how much stronger Cinderace has gotten. Josie decides to send out Shelgon next and has it begin with Double-Edge, which lands and causes Cinderace considerable damage. Raven then calls for a Blaze Kick, which Shelgon dodges before launching a Draco Meteor. However, Cinderace expertly dodges all of the oncoming meteors, and knocks Shelgon out with Pyro Ball, getting itself a third single-shot victory.

Josie chooses Shiftry as her fourth Pokémon, and Cinderace uses Flamethrower. Shiftry dodges and uses Quick Attack, but Cinderace dodges it. Josie then orders Shiftry to use Leaf Storm, but Cinderace hits it with a close-range Flamethrower before the attack can fully develop. Shfitry is hurt and stumbles, which allows Cinderace to land a direct Blaze Kick onto Shiftry, which knocks it out and leaves Josie with only two Pokémon remaining. Josie is disbelief, but quickly gets over it and summons her Pelipper, who quickly charges in with Aerial Ace, but Cinderace counters with Mega Kick, and both attacks clash, but Pelipper gets the worst of it and faints, leaving Josie with only one Pokémon remaining.

Despite the overwhelming odds, Josie refuses to give up, loudly exclaiming that if she couldn't win, she would at least take Cinderace down with her and summons her Sableye. Sableye starts off with a Power Gem, and Cinderace tries to dodge, but Sableye manages to land a glancing blow on him. Sableye then follows up with Shadow Claw, but Cinderace overpowers him with a Pyro Ball. Cinderace prepares to use another Pyro Ball, and Josie has Sableye use Water Pulse, but despite the type advantage the move had, it ends up getting overpowered again and Pyro Ball lands a direct hit. Cinderace then leaps high up in the sky and rains down with a ferocious Blaze Kick, and Josie desperately commands Sableye to use Payback. Both attacks clash with one another, causing a giant explosion that covers the entire arena. The battlefield is covered with smoke as everyone is desperate to see what happened. Eventually, the smoke clears and reveals that Sableye has gone down, but not without taking Cinderace down with him. However, because Josie no Pokémon able to continue, Raven is declared the winner by default.

Josie recalls Sableye and seems rather distraught by the one-sided wipeout she'd just suffered, but knows that she worked as hard as she could and feels satisfied with her position. Raven approaches Josie and thanks her for the battle, and Josie says that Raven showed to her that the world was a big place, and there would always be Trainers far stronger than herself, and thanks her for teaching her a lesson in humility. Following this, both Dwayne and Raven win their respective semi-final matches, and once again, meet each other in the finals, with Dwayne knowing that Raven has grown much stronger since the Johto League, especially after watching her battle against Josie, and becomes more determined than ever to win.

In the final day of resting before the finals, Dwayne undergoes some last-minute training with his Pokémon, and ponders about his strategy against Raven. Dragonair uses Dragon Dance to increase her attack and speed, while Vibrava shoots his Dragon Breath attacks onto flying frisbees to work on his aim. Moments later, an alarm goes off, and Dwayne rushes to check it out. While there, Officer Jenny and Charles Goodshow explain that the Winner's Trophy was stolen, and Dwayne offers to help search for it. Dwayne and Officer Jenny begin searching for the culprit when they notice an air balloon flying off in the distance and upon a closer look, they see the trophy held inside a glass case, and they immediately rush towards the balloon.

Heading towards a cliff, Dwayne summons Altaria to fly him towards the balloon, while having Dragonair and Vibrava stay behind as back-up in case things went wrong. Once close, Dwayne jumps off of Altaria, recalls her, and lands on the balloon's basket and finds himself against Hunk, the same criminal who tried the steal the Dragon Fang at the Dragon Holy Land in Johto. Hunk demands Dwayne to leave, otherwise suffer the consequences, but Dwayne refuses and takes the flame, but engaged in a scuffle against Hunk. As the two continue to brawl, Hunk kicks Dwayne off, but Dwayne manages to grab the trophy case with him as he plummets off the balloon. Seeing this, both Dragonair and Vibrava desperately try to fly towards him to catch him, but neither are fast enough to get him in time. Realizing this, both Dragonair and Vibrava begin evolving into Dragonite and Flygon, respectively.

With their new evolved forms, Dragonite and Flygon successfully catch Dwayne before he hits the water. As Hunk curses Dwayne for interfering with him yet again, Dwayne orders Dragonite to use Dragon Claw to pop Hunk's balloon, and as the balloon flies away, Hunk jumps off, but Flygon catches him and drops him off at the cliff, where Officer Jenny awaits to arrest him. However, Hunk manages to summon his Wobbuffet, waiting for a battle, but Flygon knocks it out with a single Dragon Claw. Hunk is promptly arrested and the trophy gets secured again. Back at the stadium complex, Mr. Goodshow thanks Dwayne for his work in protecting the trophy and says that he was looking foward to his match against Raven the next day, and Dwayne jokes that Hunk's theft helped him too, as two of his Pokémon evolved during the process.

The next day, the finals of the Hoenn League kick off, with Dwayne and Raven taking their place in the battlefield. The grass battlefield is auto-selected for the heated six-on-six match between the two Trainers. Dwayne chooses Crawdaunt as his first Pokémon, and Raven releases Duraludon. Crawdaunt uses Dark Pulse, and Duraludon counters with Hyper Beam, creating an explosion of light that reaches high into the sky. The explosion knocks out both Crawdaunt and Duraludon instantly. For their next choices, Dwayne chooses Blaziken while Raven chooses Manectric. Blaziken launches Flamethrower as Manectric evades Blaziken's attacks. Manectric responds with a Charge Beam attack, which collides with its target for a direct hit. Blaziken is blasted backwards but recovers from the attack. Blaziken goes for another Flamethrower attack but as Manectric evades this second round of attacks, Blaziken ascends into the air and strikes a direct hit with Blaze Kick. After the dust clears, Manectric is announced as unable to battle. Raven decides to choose Hariyama for her third Pokémon choice. Blaziken begins with another Flamethrower attack as Hariyama blasts forward with an Arm Thrust reflecting the Flamethrower attack. When Hariyama is within range, it strikes down with a Brick Break, knocking Blaziken unconscious.

Dwayne selects Altaria as his third Pokémon. Hariyama goes for another Brick Break attack, slamming into the ground, while Altaria manages to evade the attack by flying. Altaria and Hariyama blast forward with their Sky Attack and Focus Punch, respectively. The combined strength causes an explosion that sends both Altaria and Hariyama backwards, but Altaria is the one left unable to battle. This leaves Dwayne with only three additional Pokémon, ending the first stage of the battle.

The second half of the battle begins, with the battlefield now changing to rock terrain. Dwayne calls upon Flygon for his fourth Pokémon selection and Raven chooses Hariyama again. Flygon thrusts forward with an Iron Tail attack, but Hariyama grasps onto Flygon and prevents it from moving. Hariyama rotates into the air and slams Flygon down in a Seismic Toss. After a few moments, Flygon recovers and continues on the attack. Hariyama charges for a Focus Punch while Flygon counterattacks with Dragon Claw. Just before both Pokémon connect their attacks, Flygon slides to the right, causing Focus Punch to miss, and scoring a direct hit with Dragon Claw, knocking out Hariyama in the process.

Raven chooses Glalie for her fourth Pokémon. Glalie begins with Rollout. Glalie hits a boulder and propels itself skyward, hitting Flygon with the attack. Glalie goes into another Rollout attack hitting Flygon multiple times, each more powerful than the last. As Glalie moves for one last Rollout attack, Flygon manages to halt Glalie by catching it with his arms. Flygon lifts Glalie and propels it towards the ground, and follows up with a Dragon Breath, and Glalie is declared unable to battle. Flygon seals an impressive victory, leaving Raven with only two more available Pokémon.

A solitary Poké Ball rotates from Raven's hand, as Corviknight is called upon by Raven. Corviknight begins the battle with a Steel Wing attack, scoring a direct hit against Flygon, who begins to show exhaustion from the previous battle. Dwayne orders Flygon to use Rock Slide, but Corviknight dodges and uses Brave Bird. Despite Flygon's attempts to counter with Dragon Breath, Corviknight pushes through the attack and lands a direct hit, knocking out Flygon in the process.

Dwayne does not hesitate in this competition and chooses Dragonite for his fifth Pokémon. Dragonite is eager to battle and closes in on Corviknight while using Dragon Claw. While Dragonite continues its barrage, Corviknight launches a Hyper Beam attack. Dragonite evades the attack and repeats Dragon Claw. Dragonite then charges up a Dragon Dance, but Corviknight manages to recover and counterattack with a high-speed Iron Head, knocking Dragonite unconscious and unable to battle.

Dwayne selects Gardevoir for his final attack. Gardevoir scores a direct hit with Moonblast, but with little effect. Corviknight retaliates with a Steel Wing, but Gardevoir manages to avoid the attack and grab onto Corviknight's body and deliver a point-blank Shadow Ball, knocking Corviknight out of the competition. This leaves both Raven and Dwayne with only one Pokémon each. Raven calls upon Cinderace as her final Pokémon. Gardevoir begins the final match-up with Shadow Ball, which Cinderace matches with Flamethrower. Gardevoir follows up with Moonblast, which Cinderace also counters with Flamethrower. Following the clash of both attacks, the stadium fills with energy. Dwayne decides to take the battle into close range with a Teleport, teleporting herself behind Cinderace and scoring a direct hit with a point-blank Shadow Ball. Dwayne continues this strategy over and over, until Raven picks up on where Gardevoir would teleport next, and commands Cinderace to grab ahold of her just as she appears, and shoots a point-blank Flamethrower onto Gardevoir's face, causing severe damage.

Remembering the strategy he'd used against Jade, Dwayne orders Gardevoir to grab Cinderace and teleport both of them high towards the sky, and Gardevoir does so, teleporting Cinderace several feet in the air before teleporting herself safely back on the battlefield. As Cinderace freefalls, everyone assumes this was the end of the battle, but Raven remains calm, and orders Cinderace to fire a Flamethrower on the ground, which gradually slows his descend until allowing him to safely land on his feet, and Raven explains she had watched Dwayne's match against Jade and assumed that Dwayne would try the same strategy sooner or later, and she prepared herself for this.

Gritting his teeth, Dwayne orders Gardevoir to use Psychic, creating psychokinetic waves that lift several of the rocks across the battlefield, and Dwayne orders Gardevoir to fling them towards Cinderace, who despite managing to fight back against a few, soon gets overwhelmed. Realizing that Cinderace's legs were his strong point, Dwayne orders Gardevoir to aim the rocks towards Cinderace's legs, and Cinderace's legs take the brunt of the attack, causing Cinderace to drop his knees in pain. Raven knows that Cinderace couldn't keep up for much longer and orders him to use Pyro Ball. However, Dwayne was expecting this and orders Gardevoir to use Psychic on the incoming ball of fire, and redirects it back towards Cinderace, who takes head-on. As Cinderace staggers, Dwayne, filled with goosebumps over his body, yells out for Gardevoir to end the match with a fully-charged Shadow Ball, and Gardevoir's Shadow Ball gets charged up to maximum before being launched, which lands a direct hit onto Cinderace's face, causing a massive explosion.

As the smoke clears, Cinderace remains on his feet, and after staring down at Gardevoir for a few seconds, lets out a smirk before collapsing foward, knocked out, and the referee declares Cinderace unable to battle, and gives the victory to Dwayne and Gardevoir, making Dwayne the winner of the Ever Grande Conference. Dwayne is left speechless by the result, and looks around the field, questioning if he had indeed won the tournament, and Raven confirms it, and urges him to celebrate his victory. His face lighting up, Dwayne runs over to Gardevoir and he jumps into a hug, with Gardevoir returns the act, as both of them spin around in a hug, loudly celebrating their victory as the audience gives them a standing ovation. The Hoenn Championship finally concludes, Dwayne being crowned as the winner. He is then awarded the Ever Grande Championship Trophy and celebrates with his winning team.

With the Ever Grande Conference now over, Dwayne bids farewell to Raven, Josie, and Jannette before leaving Ever Grande City with Layla. Whilst on their ship, Layla asks what Dwayne would do next, and Dwayne admits having no idea what was next for him. Then, they hear an announcement about the ship making a quick stop at the Battle Frontier island. When the ship docks at the island, Dwayne and Layla marvel at the many attractions, and Layla asks about the Battle Frontier. Just then, they both hear a voice calling out, stating that it would be a pleasure to explain it. They turn around and see a man, who introduces himself as Scott, and Dwayne mentions having heard about him from his parents. When Scott asks about his parents, Dwayne says his parents were Edge and Roberta, and Scott says that he didn't expect to run into their child here, but it was a honor nonetheless. Confused, Layla queries about Scott, and Dwayne explains that Scott is the owner of the Battle Frontier, and Scott confirms this.

When Dwayne asks about the island, Scott explains that the Battle Frontier island had been discontinued years earlier, and instead turned into a tourist attraction, complete with hotels, restaurants, and theme parks. Scott then reveals he had changed the Battle Frontier's system: Instead of having all facilities contained within a single location, he decided to spread them throughout Kanto, much like ordinary Gyms. Scott further explains that the Trainers running the facilities are known as Frontier Brains, and were much stronger than most Trainers, with some of them even considered to be in the same level as the Elite Four. Like Gym Leaders hand out Gym Badges, each of the Frontier Brains hands out a Frontier Symbol if defeated, and once six Symbols have been earned, the location of the secret seventh facility will be revealed.

Dwayne expresses his interest in the new concept, and Scott asks if he was interested in partaking in the Frontier challenge, and Dwayne accepts, mentioning he had just come off winning the Hoenn League, impressing Scott, who deems Dwayne eligible to participate. Just then, they all hear an announcement about the upcoming Battle Frontier Flute Cup, and Scott explains that it was a tournament that was created as part of the attractions, and suggests that Dwayne participate, and Dwayne agrees. When Dwayne asks whether Layla would participate, she declines, saying she would much rather spectate. Dwayne then hears a voice calling out to him by name, and turns around to see a familiar face: Magna, whom Layla also recognizes.

Magna explains that he, too, would be participating in the Flute Cup, and Scott reveals that Magna was in charge of running the island's day-to-day activities. Magna explains that his origins as a Trainer started at the Battle Frontier, and therefore owes the facility everything that he ever achieved. Magna says he was looking foward to battling Dwayne, and bids him goodbye. When the tournament kicks off, both Dwayne and Magna breezed through the rounds and now face each other in the finals. With the finals being two-on-two, Dwayne chooses Dragonite as his first Pokémon while Magna chooses Dusknoir. Magna orders a Shadow Ball, which Dragonite easily avoids. Dusknoir starts firing out a barrage of Shadow Balls, but Dragonite continues to dodge them all with ease. Dwayne calls for a Dragon Dance to increase Dragonite's attack and speed, but Magna calls for Dusknoir to use Gravity, which slams Dragonite into the ground, unable to fly due to the enhanced gravity in the field. Magna then commands Dusknoir to use Thunder Punch, but despite being unable to fly, Dragonite's speed remains increased as Dragonite effortlessly dodges and uses Dragon Claw, and Dusknoir gets struck by the attack, although it quickly counters with Will-O-Wisp, which leaves Dragonite burned. Nevertheless, Dragonite uses Hurricane, which knocks out Dusknoir.

Magna then calls out his Sceptile. Though Dragonite has been weakened, his resolve to battle hasn't waned, and starts the second round with Twister. However, Sceptile easily dissipates the twister with Dragon Pulse, which also lands directly onto Dragonite, knocking him out. For his second choice, Dwayne selects Absol. Magna starts with a Leaf Blade, though Absol swiftly evades with Quick Attack and landing a direct hit with a follow-up Razor Wind. As he descends back to the field, Absol uses Dark Pulse, which Sceptile counters with Dragon Pulse, and both attacks cancel each other out. Then, Magna calls for an X-Scissor, but Dwayne retaliates by ordering Absol to dodge with Quick Attack aimed towards the wall. Absol dodges Sceptile's and attack speed towards the wall, but surprises everyone by bouncing off the wall, and using the momentum for a follow-up Hyper Beam to smash directly into his opponent, knocking Sceptile out and winning Dwayne the Flute Cup. Scott awards Dwayne a set of five flutes in honor of the victory.

Afterwards, Layla congratulates Dwayne on the win and admits that his skills as a Trainer greatly surpassed her own, but Dwayne urges Layla to keep training to one day achieve the heights that she was dreaming of. Just then, Scott approaches the duo, and asks whether Dwayne decided to partake the Frontier challenge, and Dwayne eagerly accepts. Happy, Scott says that he would send him the details of the first facility tomorrow, and suggests him to prepare for the toughest challenge of his Trainer career yet. At the port, Dwayne and Layla prepare to say goodbye, as Layla would continue towards Slateport City while Dwayne would return to Kanto in a boat directly towards Vermilion City. Both Trainers shake hands, and wish each other luck on their future goals, before embarking on different cruise ships and heading towards different destinations.

Arriving in Vermilion City, Dwayne immediately begins making his way towards Pallet Town, eager to inform his family about his victory at the Hoenn League. Arriving at his hometown after just a few hours, Dwayne makes his way inside his house and gets greeted by Roberta, who welcomes him home. Dwayne shows her the Ever Grande Championship Trophy, and Roberta proudly displays it at her "winner's shelf" in the living room, right beside Dwayne's Orange League Winner's Trophy. At dinner, Dwayne explains to his mother about his upcoming Battle Frontier challenge, and Roberta comments that Scott never did slow down when it comes to his creation, but was happy that Dwayne was getting stronger and stronger. When Dwayne asks about his father, Roberta explains that he was currently busy at the Viridian Gym.

The next day, Dwayne decides to drop off Crawdaunt, Absol, and Altaria at Professor Oak's Laboratory, before receiving notice from Scott about the first battle facility located in the outskirts of Cerulean City. With his bags packed, Dwayne departs from Pallet Town, ready to conquer the Battle Frontier.