Dagda smiled, looking to his lifelong friend. "You ready?" he asked, a nod coming from the young bear as they began to face off. "Morpeko, use Aura Wheel!" Marnie called, the chunky rodent charging forward, energy leaking from it's body in the shape of a wheel.

The wheel shot forward, and Otis inhaled. "Protect!" Dagda called, a barrier forming around Otis and blocking the attack. "Now Mega Punch!" Dagda called, the bear shooting forward, his fists cloaked in white energy. The rodent flipped back, and Marnie scoffed. "Morpeko, Thunder!"

A massive bolt of electricity shot forward, Otis weaving to the side and narrowly avoiding it. He cast his glance forward, surprised to see that his opponent's appearance was difference. Now black and purple with glowing red eyes, the Pokemon looked much more aggressive. "Thunder Punch!"

The mouse shot out at top speed, blitzing Otis and striking him in the abdomen, the scent of charred fur hitting his nostrils. He coughed, his attack forgotten in the face of this pain. "Again" she called, a right fist striking him in the jaw and sending him crashing to the ground. He rebounded, rising to his feet and roaring.

Unable to hear his friend anymore, Otis went into autopilot. Being charged by the mouse, Otis slammed his hands to the ground, a wall of ice rising up from the tips of his fingers. He looked up, seeing the mouse coming from atop the wall, it's fists covered in electricity.

Dagda couldn't understand what was happening. Marnie's Pokemon had shifted forms, and with it's shift in forms, it's attitude and fighting style shifted as well. He noticed that Marnie was silent, as if letting her Pokemon battle on it's own in this form. Dagda cursed, forced to just watch.

Expecting this, Otis belted out a Flamethrower, sending the Morpeko back over the wall, giving him time to use it as a cover to charge his next attack. He clapped his hands, spreading them apart as a ball of energy began to form, sickly and purple in color. He sensed out his opponent, able to feel a bolt of lightning shooting in his direction.

Using his brain, Otis tossed the Shadow Ball forward, the two attacks striking the wall of ice and shattering it, sending mist and shards of ice all about. This threw his opponent off, allowing him to call out, erupting in bright yellow energy and surging forward.

The Morpeko blinked, cloaking it's fists in electricity as it began to charge, throwing a right punch at it's approaching foe. Otis whirled, using rehearsed, almost ballerina like movement to evade to the left, throwing a huge right punch that sent the Pokemon crashing to the ground, bouncing off the ground and flying back.

As it bounced through the air, Otis noticed that it was beginning to change form, reverting back to it's normal, calmer form. Otis turned his body to the side, spreading his legs and lowering his posture. He spread his hands high up, inhaling deeply.

He slammed his hands together at the wrist, pulling them back to his right side, growling and gritting his teeth as he gathered energy from not only himself, but his surroundings. A ball of black energy began to form, cackling and hissing as he continued to charge it. The mouse recovered, gritting it's buck teeth as Marnie.

"Don't let that cheeky tart do you in! Let 'em 'ave another Thunder!" she called, the Pokemon roaring as it unleashed a titanic thunderbolt, the attack surging at Otis, who continued to charge his attack, his breathing becoming labored.

Dagda knew what he was doing, and realized that he had to release the energy before it exploded on him. "Otis, Hyper Beam!" he called, Otis screaming as he threw his hands forward, the ball of energy vanishing momentarily before it erupted, a monstrous beam of energy barreling forward.

The thunderbolt was blown away, the beam barreling through everything it touched, the Morpeko standing slack jawed and slightly airborne at the nearly divine light in front of it. Marnie watched in shock as her Pokemon was engulfed in the attack, time feeling like it moved at a crawl as the beam continued to barrel forward.

Going far off the cliffs of Route Six and into the skies of Galar, the attack left Otis weak and panting, his hands smoking from the force of his own attack. He looked across the field, to the Morpeko, which laid defeated and comatose, it's fur singed to the point of slowly falling off. Marnie looked at the Pokemon in horror, Dagda inhaling slowly.

The Team Yell members began to clamor, screaming and hollering, begging her to concede and flee, her first and arguably strongest Pokemon in a defeated, injured state. She returned the Pokemon to a Dusk Ball, frowning as she looked at the ball.

"This ain't over!" she called, hurling another Pokeball as a Scrafty came out, the big headed, hoodlum Pokemon standing stout and proud. "Let em have everything you got, Scrafty! Superpower!" she called, the Pokemon surging forward, the waist of it's pant like membrane in it's hands.

Otis was unable to move from the force of the attack. "Otis, switch out!" Dagda called, and he watched as the bear began to shake it's head. Dagda frowned. "Don't be stupid, you're tired and that thing's a Fighting type!" he called, and Otis let out a loud groan, something that was trying to be a defiant cry of refusal.

The Scrafty punched Otis in the face, forcing him to stagger as a kick hit him in the stomach, knocking him off of his feet. An elbow struck his airborne form in the back, knocking him to the ground. He grit his teeth at the pain, struggling to rise to his feet. "Dark Pulse!" Marnie called, the Pokemon blasting Otis at close range with a sickly shockwave of energy, sending his body bouncing across the ground.

"Otis, switch!" he called, and Otis shook his head, struggling as he rose to his feet. "Scrafty, Mega Punch!" Marnie called, Team Yell cheering as Otis was victimized by his opponent, a fist striking him in the jaw and sending him flying into the air.

Dagda watched in shock as Otis refused to switch, tacking attack after attack for what seemed like no reason. Was he trying to prove something to Dagda? Was this him defending his own honor, his own pride? He didn't understand, watching a Mega Punch send Otis flying through the air.

The Munchlax felt time move at a crawl, his mind racing as he flew through the air, his body battered, bruised and likely bleeding in at least one place. Why was he failing? Why was it that Marko, Danzig and now Ozzy were able to defeat gym leaders and aide Dagda? Why did this group, these buffoons and their cheeky leader have to interfere in all of his battles?

He despised it. He wondered exactly what he could do to get back at them. He wasn't strong enough, his body hitting the ground and bouncing. He rose to his feet, his spirit and pride preventing him from switching. He couldn't hear anything anymore. Not Dagda, not his friends, and not even his foes. All was silent, his world shaken and rattled from every blow he took. He felt more pain, his teeth cracking as he hit the ground, his body riddled with pain.

"Finish him off Scrafty!" Marnie called, and Dagda clenched his fists, his emotions flaring up at his Pokemon's foolish defiance. "Otis! Switch out now!" he called, the Pokemon struggling, wobbling and staggering as it tried to rise to it's feet again, the fully evolved Pokemon charging it from behind.

"Never!"

Dagda froze. His entire world paused for a moment. There was no mistaking it. That defiant voice, that passionate cry of defiance, was Otis. He was able to hear him, he was able to understand him. Otis looked to him, a feral, determined look on his features, something that invigorated Dagda, who smiled to his partner, his friend, his brother.

The two came to a silent understanding within a fraction of a second, Otis screaming as he spun, throwing his all into his right fist, his body erupting in a blinding blue light as his fist moved.

The Scrafty realized what was happening, and tried to slow his charge down, unable to halt his own momentum fast enough, a huge, blue fist smashing him in the jaw, rattling his brain as he fell to the ground, the force of the fist that struck him blowing a gust of wind in Marnie's direction.

Otis felt an immense amount of energy, strength, and POWER flow through his veins, throwing his round head back and roaring, a wave of energy barreling out as he cast his gaze to his opponent.

Marko looked on in awe. It was like something from one of his father's tales of heroism. Like the prideful warrior that doesn't shirk in the face of death. He watched Otis fight back into his war, take another battle under his belt with a massive, single strike, his larger, now evolved form standing proudly before everyone.

Marnie returned her Scrafty, gritting her teeth and frowning. "Big whoop! You're fat cunt just got fatter! He's still just a tub of lard!" she called, throwing out a third Pokeball, a Toxicroak rising up, casting a foul look to Otis, who only maintained that blank, uninterested face that only a Snorlax can pull off.

"Focus Punch!" she called, a mass of energy erupting around the frog's right fist, a cry bellowing from it's gullet as it surged forward. Otis stood stalwart, his physique strong and stalwart in the face of adversity, and he made no attempt to block the incoming attack. All he did, was wag a single finger.

The Toxicroak closed in and screamed, unleashing a massive right punch that seemed to grow in power as it moved through the air towards Otis. The frog could feel the hairs of the Pokemon's belly mere fractions of an inch away, a smile spreading across it's fist.

Which is why the frog was immensely confused when his fist only struck air. He stood, his form incredible and the force of his attack staggering, realizing that the massive bear in front of him was gone. He whirled around, the bear standing, unmoving behind him. The frog spun, pulling it's fist back to throw another punch. However, he hesitated.

Marnie watched in starstruck confusion as her Toxicroak called out, it's body spasming profusely before simply falling back. She put her hand over her mouth, realizing that it looked like it was thoroughly beaten down, battered and worn down in less than a second's time. She returned the Pokemon, shaking her head.

"Marnie! No!" one of the Team Yell members called, the five turning to Dagda and his Snorlax with hatred in their eyes. They all snapped, unleashing their Pokemon, giving commands for many moves, Marnie simply staring at the ground in shock, unable to pay attention to what was happening in front of her.

When she looked up, she felt tears well in her eyes. Because before her was a sight even worse. Not only were her Pokemon defeated, but her loyal fans and their Pokemon laid scattered about the field, struck down like demons for doing nothing more than trying to protect her honor. She looked to the monsters responsible.

Dagda stood with his arms folded, the huge Snorlax poised behind him, Marko and Danzig at his sides, the crimson wolf of the forbidden land crouched in front of him, the sight looking like a super villain group in a movie, something that etched itself in her mind.

The quintet began to move, noticing that the sleeping snake from before had long since vanished. The Pokemon moved first, choosing to ignore all of their defeated foes as they pressed on, the idea of their next gym battle much more interesting.

Dagda stopped when he passed Marnie, closing his eyes and looking to her. "I hope you know that I have nothing against you. Team Yell are far too devout to you. You need to control them, before they all end up like this." he said, the two trainers looking to the heap of battered, beaten down people and Pokemon. Dagda shook his head as he moved on, unable to look at the pathetic scene anymore.

The pressed on Route Six, Dagda glad to see the Pokemon chattering happily, as if they were congratulating Otis on his evolution. The bear seemed rather happy as well, flexing his large arms with a smile across his rotund features.

"You did amazing Otis." Dagda said, the bear looking to him and smiling. He nodded, the triumphant group unable to contain their positive energy, many wild Pokemon peeking out of their holes and resting places, if only to see what was going on.

As they pressed on, Dagda returned his Pokemon to their Pokeballs, realizing that Danzig and Otis would have problems scaling the ladders put up as a safety precaution throughout the route. Dagda found himself hating the route's odd shape, groaning at how many ladders he found himself climbing up and down.

Although, he soon reached an odd point that seemed to be the top of the route's many hills and pathways. The reason the thought it was odd was because of the scene in front of him. Carved out of a huge wall of stone, and done with an immense amount of care and painstaking accuracy, were three Diglett statues.

They varied in size, and the one in the center was the largest, but they reminded him of ancient craftsmanship and artistry from plays he'd seen, from an ancient time where folk wore white robes about themselves and crowns of laurels and olive branches. He found it incredibly odd.

He looked about, noticing an odd machine simply sitting in the center of this plateau. He walked up to it, unable to tell what it was. It looked almost like a stove, but it many cogs and gears about it that gave it a more fantastical look. It was an odd machine to say the least.

"Whatchu doin by my stuff?" He heard, blinking as he turned to see a woman in a lab coat walking up, her hair, black and disheveled, her glasses covered in dirt and her pant legs torn in at least one place. "Are you… okay?" he asked, and she grunted, seeming upset about something.

"I've been better. Damn Trapinch tried eating me so I had to stomp it out." she said, her crass attitude matching up with her tale of defending herself against a Pokemon with just the scuffed, dirty heels on her feet. Dagda tried not to stare, but her disheveled appearance didn't extend to her bright, clean, stark white lab coat.

"My apologies if I disturbed anything of yours. Could you tell me what this machine is?" he asked, and she looked to it. "It's still a prototype, but it's a mobile fossil restoration device. I can take a pair of fossils found here in Galar, and restore them into a magickal, mystical, ancient Pokemon!" she said, sounding very enthused.

Dagda was a bit unnerved by her fascination with the ancient and deceased. If a Pokemon from ancient times was fossilized, or encased in a layer of ice or something, wouldn't you want it to stay there? He shook his head, trying to disregard her odd enthusiasm. However, something dawned on him.

He pulled his bag off of his back, and began to rummage throughout. He pushed about various clothing articles, Pokeballs and even moved a more expensive, yet more compact-able tent out of the way, seeing something he'd almost forgotten about at the bottom of his bag.

"You mean like these?" he asked, holding up the two fossils his Pokemon had found at the Galar Mine. The woman gasped, her eyes lighting up like stars in the night sky as she snatched them from Dagda's hands, holding them up to the afternoon sky, her smile stretching as far as the horizon.

"These are perfect." she said, more to herself than Dagda. "Er… Miss?" She blinked, turning back to the boy. "Oh, right. Sorry, I get a little carried away with these things. Would you like me to see if I can restore these into a Pokemon?" she asked, and he nodded. "Please. I've always wondered what those fossils would look like still alive." he said, and she nodded, opening the oven like door of the machine and tossing the fossils in.

She stood up, her oversized lab coat hiding exactly what she was doing before she hummed. "Now all we do is wait!" she called, the machine beginning to spit out thick smoke from a pipe as it rattled dangerously.

Dagda began to feel nervous. He wasn't really sure what was more unnerving. Was it the woman with an odd fascination with fossils? Or was it the stove like machine that looked like it could shake it's screws loose at any moment?

He didn't have much time to ponder, because the machine jumped, and the woman began to gasp. "No no no!" she called, running up to it and beginning to tinker with it. "A-are you sure that's safe?" Dagda asked, and his question fell on deaf ears, the woman turning nobs and pressing random buttons in fear, aware of something Dagda wasn't. "Miss?"

The woman didn't have a chance to respond, because the machine exploded, shaking Dagda's feet and sending the woman flying back, shards of metal in her arm and face, her glasses shattered. Dagda ran to her side, the machine replaced by a cloud of smoke.

"Miss! Are you alright!?" he called, and she began to cough, her vision rather blurry and poor without her glasses. "Did… did it work?" she asked, and Dagda frowned, looking from the woman to the cloud of smoke. His jaw began to fall slack, unable to understand exactly what he was looking at.