Pokémon the Series: XYZ

On the way to Snowbelle City, Bonnie discovers a small green Pokémon hiding in her bag. The Pokédex can’t identify it, so she decides to name it Squishy. Soon after, our heroes encounter their friend Sawyer and his Grovyle. The reunion is quickly disrupted by a group of people wearing red clothes and unusual eyewear, who are determined to get their hands on Bonnie’s new friend! These new villains are Team Flare, and they’ve identified Squishy as one of the Cores they need for their mysterious Operation Z. Ash and Sawyer team up to drive them away, but they regroup to make new plans, and Team Rocket is keeping a close eye on them... Sawyer suggests that the group make a stop at Terminus Cave on their way to Snowbelle City, and Squishy emphatically approves of this plan—so our heroes’ next destination is set!

On the way to Snowbelle City, Ash and the others call Professor Sycamore to learn more about Bonnie’s new friend Squishy! Team Rocket gets excited upon hearing that it might be a new kind of Pokémon, and starts hatching a plan... Later, when Serena and Eevee are rehearsing, a wild Quilladin charges out of the forest and presents Eevee with a Vine Whip in a heart shape, and then a bouquet of flowers. Pancham and Chespin step up to protect their friend, and Quilladin challenges them to battle in an attempt to show off for Eevee! The battle is soon interrupted when Team Rocket swoops in and grabs Eevee, Dedenne, Squishy, and Bunnelby in a net! Quilladin, Pancham, and Chespin decide to put aside their differences and work together to send the villains blasting off again—and after a wild Flareon catches Quilladin’s attention, it’s happy to part ways with our heroes!

Our heroes are traveling through the woods when they hear a cry for help! They find a woman whose leg is stuck in a rocky crevice, and manage to free her. She shows them the Mega Stone she was searching for, reveals herself as Nurse Joy, and takes them to meet Professor Sycamore at the Pokemon Center—where she and her assistant Audino get into a heated argument! Everyone is determined to help the two of them get along, particularly when the professor points out that a strong bond is necessary for Mega Evolution. The two partners work together to heal an injured Makuhita—and when Team Rocket attacks, their bond is proven when Audino Mega Evolves and sends them blasting off again! After Professor Sycamore meets Squishy and confesses that he doesn’t know what it is, he decides to return to his lab for more research. They part ways as our heroes head for Snowbelle City!

During their trek across a vast grassland, our heroes hear a powerful roar in the distance! It’s the leader of a Pyroar pride, who is sternly commanding a young Litleo to leave the pride and live on its own. Ash’s first instinct is to intervene, but after he realizes this is a necessary rite of passage, he convinces his friends to follow at a distance so they can keep an eye on Litleo. Litleo’s journey is interrupted when Team Rocket swoops in to grab Pyroar, who has also been watching over the little one from a distance. Litleo is determined to stop Team Rocket, and finds the courage and strength to stand up to the villains. With a little help from our heroes, Team Rocket is sent blasting off again, and Pyroar is freed! It looks like Litleo will be just fine on its own, so after saying goodbye to their new friend, our heroes are off once again to Snowbelle City!

Our heroes camp out to watch a meteor shower, and then curl up in their sleeping bags. During the night, Pikachu and Team Rocket’s Meowth wake up thirsty and run into each other on their way to find water—and then start having some very strange adventures! Their Pokemon friends are all talking like people, while their human friends can only make Pokemon sounds. What’s more, all of the Pokemon seem to be able to evolve (or devolve) at will! Things get even stranger when Pikachu and Meowth meet up with Squishy, who can also talk, and who’s being pursued by a giant fireball with a face! They run away from the fire, but it keeps chasing them…until the alarm clock Clemont invented rings and then promptly explodes, waking everyone up. Nearby, our heroes spot Darkrai, the Mythical Pokemon known for causing nightmares, and the strange events of the night before suddenly become clear—it was all a dream!

Our heroes are delighted to bump into Ash’s friend Sanpei and his Greninja, and join them as they return to their home in Ninja Village. It’s quite a reunion, with Sanpei’s brothers and the village chief waiting for his return. But Team Rocket is also nearby, as well as a group of Skarmory who look to cause their own problems!

While our heroes are visiting their friend Sanpei’s home in Ninja Village, Chief Hanzo is captured by a group of mysterious ninja! Their leader is Kagetomo, a gifted ninja who has decided that he should be chief in Hanzo’s place. Sanpei and his brothers are determined to free their chief, and they confront Kagetomo and his forces head on, with the help of Ash, Serena, and Clemont. During the battle, Ash’s Frogadier evolves into an immensely powerful Greninja! The ninja force is defeated, and Kagetomo sees the error of his ways and decides to refocus on his training. Ash and friends stay to enjoy the village festival, where Hanzo names Sanpei’s oldest brother, Ippei, as the next chief. After our heroes depart, the middle brother, Nihei, tells the others that he saw something in Ash’s Greninja that reminded him of the village’s ancient hero...

Serena, her friend Nini, and Jessilee (Team Rocket’s Jessie in disguise) are competing in the Couriway Pokémon Showcase! The first round is a Poké Puff Performance, and it’s more than just a bake-off—the performers have to put on a show while creating their treats. Then, it’s on to the Freestyle Performance and Eevee’s Showcase debut! Serena and Eevee dance together as Braixen spins a ring of fire around them, and as a finishing move, Eevee leaps gracefully onto Braixen’s flaming branch! But as the audience erupts in cheers, Eevee gets nervous and loses its balance. That misstep is enough to give Jessilee the win—and her first Princess Key!

As our heroes enter Terminus Cave, Squishy takes off! Before the others can catch up, Squishy sends a message to a similar-looking Pokemon. This alerts Team Flare, and they scatter to catch Squishy (which they call Z1) and its friend, Z2! As Team Flare closes in, Squishy summons many Cells and merges with them to become a fierce four-legged Pokemon. It hits Team Flare with a devastating attack—and when that’s not enough, Ash sends out his Greninja, and the two of them appear to battle as one being! Team Flare finally retreats, but Squishy is missing. Our heroes set off to find it...as Team Flare watches their every move!