XY044: Splitting Heirs!

- (シトロン対ユリーカ！？ニャオニクスできょうだいバトル！！) is the 45th episode of Pokémon the Series: XY.

Episode Plot
The heroes met a trainer named Ryuji, who reports he will come home soon, being absent for a year. He is hungry, though Clemont made a nice meal. They notice Meowstic, which the heroes admire. Ryuji compliments Clemont's food, so Ash wants a second meal. Clemont notices Bonnie left carrots away on her dish and orders her to eat everything, else she won't be a great Pokémon trainer. Bonnie replies Clemont does not like peas, while Ash and Serena tell Ryuji the siblings always bicker. While Bonnie (regretfully) eats carrots, Chespin knocked away his food. As he goes to pick it up, he notices a female Meowstic and falls in love with her. He runs off to find her, but gets lost. Bonnie catches Chespin, saying he shouldn't run off alone.

However, Bonnie sees she got lost as well. Meanwhile, Ash and Serena notice Bonnie and Chespin are gone, while Clemont thinks she ran off because she couldn't eat carrots. Ryuji sees she might be in danger, as there are wild Beedrill living in the forest. As Bonnie walks with Chespin, a bunch of Beedrill appear, causing Bonnie to trip over. They use Pin Missile, though a Meowstic uses Protect, shielding Bonnie. Meowstic's trainer helps her stand up, but are surrounded by Beedrill. Suddenly, Ryuji's Meowstic uses Energy Ball, chasing the Beedrill away. Ryuji encounters the trainer, who is his older brother, who was doing research on Beedrill, though Ryuji interrupted him. Ash and Serena see the brothers are on bad terms. Clemont scolds Bonnie for running away on her own. Ash thinks they should be happy she and Chespin are safe, though Bonnie is angry at her brother.

The heroes go to the brothers' mansion, where Bonnie's injury will be healed. The heroes admire the huge mansion, while the mother Ryuji and his brother, Hajime, appears. She is glad to see them both well, as they did not call in a long time. The brothers report Bonnie's injury needs to be treated. A moment later, Bonnie receives a bandage, while Clemont thanks them for taking care of his sister, who taunts him. The brothers' father appears, glad the boys came back, who learned a lot of stuff over the past year. Their father tells it is time for a trial, a process that will choose the heir of the family, which has been done for a lot of generations. It will be a treasure hunt, to search for a relic in the area. Ryuji picks Ash, while Bonnie goes with Hajime and invites Serena, telling Clemont he can join the other side.

Both teams run off, though Chespin goes with Clemont, as he wanted to go with the female Meowstic. Ryuji thinks they should search anything that is out of the ordinary. Ash asks Ryuji is he angry at his brother. Ryuji replies he does not want to lose to him. While they were friendly for a long time, after getting Espurr and evolving them to Meowstic, the conflicts began, even in battles. Ryuji just wants to prove he is useful to his family. Ash sees sibling relationships are complicated, but Clemont feels he and Bonnie are like them, as she hates him now. Ash reponds Bonnie should feel that Clemont wanted to protect him, so Clemont thanks Ash for such words.

Meanwhile, Serena goes to search another room, while Bonnie sees an object. She notices Hajime has a look on his face, just like her brother does when he is thinking. Hajime sees Bonnie loves her brother, but Bonnie claims he hates him. Hajime tells his brother hates him, as Hajime admits he sometimes worries and interferes. Hajime claims he does not hate his brother. However, he would be disappointed to hear Hajime let him win, so Hajime tells he is participating in this treasure hunt. Later, both teams bring a lot of relics, but father is displeased. He tells them the treasure is not in the mansion and is connected to his sons. They encountered a Venipede and chased it away together. Ryuji thinks a bit and remembers about a secret place he and his brother were hanging out. Hajime remembers that they brought the flowers to their parents, pleasing them.

Both teams meet each other, while the brothers are surprised they both remember the flowers. Suddenly, an Exploud appears, who uses Hyper Voice. Chespin uses Pin Missile, distracting it. However, the brothers' Meowstic scratch Exploud, who fails to bite them. Ryuji's Meowstic goes to scratch, but gets punched away. Exploud goes to stomp, but Hajime's Meowstic protects Ryuji's. Hajime's Meowstic uses Psychic, while Ryuji's Meowstic uses Energy Ball, defeating Exploud. The brothers are pleased, as they felt like this when they were children, having a Pokémon battle. The heroes approach Exploud, who stands up and goes to Bonnie, though Clemont protects her.

Suddenly, Exploud gets called back, as the brothers' father put them on this trial, for their bond is their treasure. The brothers remember they promised never to forget the day they chased Venipede and worked together. Clemont apologises to Bonnie, as he was overprotective, while Bonnie apologises, as she did not respect him and promises to eat the carrots. Chespin comes to Hajime's Meowstic, who goes to Ryuji's Meowstic. The brothers explain their Meowstic couldn't wait to see each other, for they are in love, crushing Chespin's feelings. Serena tells him she'll cook some macarons and think about other romances. The heroes bid farewell to the brothers, as they set towards Coumarine City.

Debuts

 * Character
 * Ryūji
 * Hajime

Trivia
"Pokémon Quiz": Meowstic (male and female, JP)