"Orbeetle is unable to battle! The winner is Umbreon! Which means the victory goes to Marnie of Spikemuth!"

In three short sentences, the longest and most arduous battle of Marnie's life had come to an end, one met with thunderous and momentous applause. At that moment, she could only stand in a state of astonishment, awash with a sensation of surrealism.

I… I did it, she thought to herself. It's over… I won…

The stunned expression on her face was quickly overwritten with a warm smile that seemed to beam from her face as she continued to process her victory and what it meant - for her, for Spikemuth, for all of Galar, even. She'd been so consumed by these recent dark times for what felt like ages. Her anxiety over the fate of her hometown, her insecurities as a person and as a trainer, the doubt she had in her ability to make a difference for the people she cared about; it all had weighed heavy on her constantly, preventing her from comprehending the figurative light at the end of the tunnel. Now, before she'd even realized it, she had arrived, immersed in that light that felt so unobtainable for so long as all of Galar joined together in praise and approbation. Like the gravity that once weighted heavy over the pitch, the weight on Marnie's own shoulders had lifted. The battle for the fate of Spikemuth's soul was over - she'd won. She could breathe freely now… she could smile.

"We won…", she said to herself softly, slowly coming to grasp the reality of the moment. "We won… we won. We won!", she continued to say, growing louder and more exuberant with each repetition. "We won! We won, Umbreon, we did it!"

Umbreon charged to Marnie as quickly as she could, knocking her onto the ground in her excitement. Marnie let out a startled yelp as she fell backwards before catching herself with her hands. She broke into a fit of joyous laughter as she sat on the ground and embraced Umbreon, who reciprocated Marnie's joy and affection by nuzzling her head into her trainer's shoulder.

Team Yell exploded into a cacophony of cheers and hollering as they collectively cried tears of joy, which seemed to stream down each member's face like waterfalls.

Hop couldn't contain his excitement as he jumped up and down in the air repeatedly. "That was incredible! She did it, she really did it!"

"You did us so proud, lil' sis!", Piers shouted between sobs of happiness. "Let's all give it up for Marnie!"

Marcus smiled widely, his eyes positively beaming as he stared out onto the pitch. He'd never seen a smile out of Marnie like the one she was giving after that battle was done. She'd come so far in just these past few weeks - from the insecure girl who was lost, confused, unable to smile, and unable to hope, to the proud and steely-eyed young gym leader who was confident and capable of conquering any challenge set before her, no matter how insurmountable it may seem. There was no ignoring her now - her name was now set in stone among Galar's history, a true testament to the strength of the community and trainers of Spikemuth for the entire world to see. She had done it.

"You did it Marnie", Marcus said to himself with a smile. "You really did…" He stood tall on his seat and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Way to go, Marnie!", he cheered at the top of his lungs.

I'd really better step up my game, he thought to himself, or else they'll be calling you Champion Marnie in no time.

Weston stood frozen in disbelief, deflated and devoid of all bravado with eyes wide and petrified as he seemed to gaze outward into an unseen beyond with a thousand-yard stare. It was as if a spectre appeared before him and consumed all of his dreams in front of him. He grimaced as he returned his unconscious Orbeetle to his Pokeball, a feeling of self-disgrace washing over him as he stood before the roaring crowd, reduced to the role of a side character in the story of their true protagonist. He had lost battles before - he'd never enjoyed it, but he'd always managed to shake it off and move forward. This loss felt different than the others, however, like everything he'd been working for his entire life had been leading up to this opportunity to prove himself, only for it to fall utterly flat.

Where am I supposed to go from here?

He placed his hands into the pockets of his tracksuit jacket. His shoulders sank to his sides and his head hung low as he turned his back to the pitch and began to make his way off the field.

"Weston", a voice called from behind, stopping him in his tracks.

Marnie now stood at centerfield with Umbreon at her side, her eyes fixed on the young platinum-blonde haired trainer.

He met her stare with a look of uncertainty and vulnerability. Oh, of course, he thought to himself, this is the part where you make me eat my words, where you kick me further into the dirt for my failures. Fine, do it. Get it over with already.

She smirked. "Great battle, you got a lotta fight in you."

Weston's brow raised in surprise. He couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening. Compliments? I berate and mock you in front of all of your peers for the entire match, and you turn around and praise me!?

He scowled in disgust. "Don't you dare patronize me!"

Marnie flinched, startled at the sudden outburst. Umbreon took a few steps forward and growled menacingly at Weston, positioned to pounce at him if he continued to appear as a threat to her beloved friend. Marnie quickly placed a gentle hand of reassurance on Umbreon's back. "Easy, girl", she said as she took another step forward towards Weston, whose back was now turned to the dark duo.

"You won the match", he hissed like a seething liquid. "You have all the bragging rights now, so there's no need to play nice…" He could sense the verbal degradation of his character sitting on her lips waiting to be fired like ballistic artillery into his soul. Failure had taught him time and time again to learn to expect it at every loss. He just wanted it to be done and over with. "Just tell me how you really feel and be done with it."

Marnie looked to Weston, confused and even somewhat concerned for who was once her most vicious adversary. She could sense the insecurity and loneliness in his voice. So she doubled down; "I ain't playin' nice", she replied. "I meant what I said."

Weston glanced back at her over his shoulder, now even more confused than before. He was used to people patronizing him in the past and quickly falling back on their words in an act of malicious mockery. Never had anyone ever committed to the joke as much as she was.

"Weston, you…", Marnie sighed. "You're a jerk", she stated bluntly. "You're arrogant, you're cocky, you're rude, you're malignant, you're just downright insufferable."

There it is, Weston thought to himself. That's more or less what I'm used to hearing.

"But…", Marnie continued, to Weston's surprise. "I call out strength when I see it, and you've got it. Oh boy, have you got it! You're one of the strongest trainers I've ever battled, by far the best Bug-Type specialist. That was one of the most excitin' battles I've ever had, and I battle the champion on the regular." She smirked at him again. "You got a lotta skill, really."

This had never happened before. Never had Weston experienced such a profound loss in a battle before only to have his opponent turn around and reassure him of the skills he possesses and the quality of their battle. He didn't understand.

"Why are you telling me this?", he asked, a hint of timidness hanging on the tone of his voice. "After everything I did to try and demoralize you in our battle, why say these things to me?"

Marnie glanced out to her friends sitting in the stands among Team Yell. She smiled as she thought fondly of them, then turned back to Weston. "'Cause I wanna see Galar get stronger, too", she replied, "and I know that the only way it'll ever get as good as it can possibly be is if we all work together."

Weston raised a brow as he tried to grasp the meaning behind Marnie's words.

Marnie gestured towards Team Yell with an extended arm. "I've only gotten as far as I have 'cause I've had people like them rootin' me on and pushin' me to be the best that I can. All of Spikemuth's strength comes from community, y'know? And I honestly believe that that's gonna be the real key to Galar's success as a region."

For a moment, it almost felt as if a brief light of clarity had been cast down over Weston. He had been so accustomed to doing everything himself and obtaining greater power alone. Long had he believed that people were either inherently strong or inherently weak, and that the feeble would only weigh the powerful down. Could it truly be different? Could the weak become stronger under the caring guidance of the powerful?

He exhaled deeply. "You are unbearably naive", he said bluntly. "All of this fantasy dribble about Galar coming together to become a stronger people… complete nonsense, honestly."

Marnie furrowed her brow and gave him a glare. Some people just refuse to change…

"...And yet", he continued, "here I stand; a prodigy, groomed for success from an early age, now utterly defeated and humiliated by an ordinary guttersnipe… it'd be enough for me to self-sabotage the remaining duration of my career if it weren't so ironically poetic."

Marnie shot him a perplexed expression.

Weston reluctantly allowed himself to grin. "Spikemuth: a decrepit slum in the dark, or a diamond in the rough? I spent most of my early youth living here in Wyndon, the crown jewel of Galar, knowing only the strength in which the League proudly demonstrated on our streets. Yet, it seems a great deal of Galar's potential has been overlooked." He turned around and faced Marnie. "Don't be mistaken, I find every ounce of inspiring wordplay from you completely and entirely asinine, but maybe…" He grinned. "...Maybe it's not all just fantasy dribble."

Marnie grinned back. "You can take my word for it", she replied, "or you can go see for yourself."

Weston nodded, a calm smile on his face. "I thought I had this region figured out, but this battle, this experience… well, it's left me with a certain curiosity about what other secret gems and hidden strengths Galar is hiding under the rough. I suppose that curiosity alone warrants a closer look.

He extended his right hand outward to Marnie, who took it in her own with a firm handshake.

"Gym Leader Marnie", he proclaimed, "when I've found the answers I seek, I will return for another battle."

She nodded with a smile. "Spikemuth'll welcome you with open arms anytime you're fixin' to be beaten hollow, Ectobius Rex."

Marcus let out a heavy and exacerbated sigh.

"You alright, mate?", Hop asked curiously.

"I'm exhausted", he replied, his voice hoarse from all the yelling he had done during the match. The energy required to maintain the extroverted presence of a member of Team Yell was something that Marcus just didn't have in him. "How do you guys do this all the time!?"

. . .

"Bravo, Gym Leader Marnie, bravo!", Chairman Aster applauded, an exuberant smile on his face as he made his way across the pitch towards centerfield. "I knew from the beginning that we were in for a treat, but I never imagined it would be something so stupendous… so tremendous!"

Marnie met his praise with blank expression. She was still uncertain if she could trust the man. "I'm glad the spectacle was to your likin'", she replied, "now it's your turn to keep your end of the bargain; Spikemuth Gym stays, that's that."

"Oh, I intend to do much more than just keep my end of the bargain, dear Marnie", Aster replied.

Marnie's brows shot up, an alert and attentive gaze overtaking her green eyes as she scrutinized the man's every word and every gesture. "What're you gettin' at?"

Aster smiled. "What would you say if I told you that the League was willing to offer you an upgraded facility?"

Marnie glared. "That ain't part of the deal", she protested. "How many times we gotta keep tellin' you creeps; we don't want your new gym, we don't wanna play your Dynamaxing game!"

Aster chuckled. "No, no, you misunderstand", he replied. "I didn't say a new facility, I said an upgraded one."

Marnie paused as she clung to his particular word-choice. "Upgrade?"

He nodded with a smile. "I was thinking we expand the arena size to help accommodate for larger Pokemon, create a greater perimeter which would allow for more in-house seating so that spectators wouldn't have to be stuck watching the battles from the streets, maybe raise the ceiling to allow for more aerial combat…"

Marnie's eyes widened with surprise and excitement as Aster prattled off his thoughts. "You wanna renovate the gym?"

"Yes, of course", he affirmed. "You've shown us all a strength that we never knew existed. And on behalf of Macro Cosmos and the League, I'd like to sincerely apologize for turning our backs on you and the City of Spikemuth", he continued with apologetic eyes. "You were right; Galar is stronger united than it ever will be apart, and I am prepared to invest whatever is necessary to ensure that everyone from every corner of this great region of ours has the opportunity to achieve the kind of strength that you just displayed."

Marnie thoroughly searched Aster's eyes for any signs of deceit or trickery and found none. For what seemed like the first time to her since meeting him, he was being genuine and sincere with every word he spoke. "Y-you mean all that?"

Aster chuckled. "Still finding it difficult to trust me, huh?", he smiled. "I certainly can't blame you, I've certainly put forth a great deal of effort to give you all the run-around. Which is why I've arranged for a show of good faith for the future partnership between the people of Spikemuth and the League."

He closed his eyes. "Today's match is on us."

Marnie cocked her head to the side. "What's that s'posed to mean?"

Aster smiled a warm smile. "It means that the League will be setting aside all proceeds from today's ticket sales towards a joint effort in the restoration and revitalization of the City of Spikemuth."

Time stood still as Marnie processed the Chairman's words. "W… w-what'd you just say?"

"I am committed to seeing Galar succeed across the board", Aster answered. "And to demonstrate that, I'd like to work closely with the people of Spikemuth to help rebuild and restore their community. This is something that has been put off for far too long, and I refuse to stand by and allow this negligence to go on any longer."

The young gym leader was at a loss for words. It all sounded too good to be true - after everything she'd been through, everything that had transpired between her hometown and the League, her first instinct was to believe that it was all an elaborate farce. "I… you… y-you… you really…"

Aster chuckled again, taking a knee to the ground as he placed the palm of his hand along the back of his ear, gesturing out into the audience. "Take another listen, won't you?"

It staggered her that she hadn't noticed it all this time. During the heat of the battle and all of the ensuing clamor; even now, as she spoke candidly with the chairman, she hadn't noticed it - she had been too focused on everything else happening around her. Now, she finally had a moment to breathe, a moment to think - a moment to listen.

And she heard it.

"Marnie! Marnie! Marnie! Marnie!"

A stadium of people, making up who knows how much of Galar - who knows how much of the world - all chanting her name over and over again without pause or reprieve. The air rang vibrant with the voices of men, women, children, even Pokemon, all resolute in their support.

"They haven't stopped since the second half of the match began, you know", Aster remarked with a grin as the two listened together. "What can I say? The people have spoken", he continued, "and they stand ''Team Marnie.'' And you know, I think I'm going to as well." He smiled brightly as he stood to his feet and began making his way off the pitch. "I'm looking forward to working alongside you to make Galar a better place for everyone. Congratulations again, Gym Leader Marnie, on a battle well-fought and a victory well-earned. Here's to many more."

Marnie stood on the pitch, alone, and yet surrounded. For the first time in a long time, the future looked bright… brighter than she'd ever imagined it could be. She clenched her fist tightly into a ball at her side - it was all she could do to keep herself from crying tears of joy.

. . .

Morpeko munched on the last of the Pecha Berry Marnie had given her - that, in addition to a hyper potion, was enough to bring a spring back into her step as Marnie finished collecting her things from the changing room. Having changed back into her normal attire, Marnie shut the locker door. "C'mon, Morpeko, time to go", Marnie called as she began to make her way towards the door to the locker room.

Morpeko's ears perked up as she turned to her trainer and began to scurry along behind her.

Today had been a long and exhausting day for the both of them in just about every possible sense. All she wanted to do now was get the rest of her team to a Pokemon Center, pick up some take-out, and take the next train for home.

Although, Marnie thought to herself, I guess I should try to meet up with the others real quick… it'd be rude not to give 'em all a proper thanks for everythin'...

Her thoughts were interrupted as she opened the door out to the locker room, where she was met with a barrage of voices.

"Yeah, way to go, Marnie!", they all said in unison.

Marcus, Hop, Piers, and all of Team Yell had found their way into the locker room, and were waiting for her there, all with wide smiles of admiration.

Marnie nearly fell over backwards from being startled by the noise. "You knuckleheads", she shouted instinctively out of shock, pinching the bridge of her nose. She took in a deep breath and smiled. "I was just thinkin' I should try doin' a once-over to find you."

"We thought we'd go ahead and save you the trouble", Hop remarked with a wide smile.

Marnie chuckled as she looked to Hop and Marcus. "Well look at you two", she said, referring to the face paint that still plastered across Hop's face and the entirety of Marcus's current wardrobe. "You both look ridiculous."

"Hi, yeah", Marcus chimed in with a raised hand. "Sorry, that was my idea… I figured you could use every ounce of ridiculous fanclub support you could get", he said, a goofy grin on his face and a hand placed behind his head. "Although, maybe… don't let it go public that I did this? I could get in a bit of trouble for demonstrating a public bias."

Marnie felt her cheeks grow warm as Marcus smiled at her. There he goes again, going out on a limb for my sake...

"Anyway", Hop continued, "can we talk about how that was one of the most amazing matches, EVER!?"

"It wasn't that big of a deal, y'know", Marnie replied bashfully, trying to remain nonchalant. "I'm sure either one of you would've made it look way easier."

"No way", Marcus insisted. "I gotta agree with Hop - I never would've thought to do anything you did out there, Marnie. You were incredible!"

Marnie quickly broke eye-contact as she felt the redness of her cheeks begin to spread. "Th-thanks…"

Piers placed a hand on his younger sister's shoulder, prompting her to look up at him. "You did it, sis. Spikemuth Gym ain't ever been in better hands", he told her with a grin. "You did us all real proud today."

Marnie smiled back up at him. "Thank you…", she replied quietly, before turning to the rest of the group. "Thank you all so much… I really couldn't've done it without all of you."

Morpeko squeaked cheerfully as she stood at Marnie's feet.

"I say we live it up tonight", Piers suggested. "A night of food and festivities in the name of our girl, Marnie, the Savior of Spikemuth! Who's with me?"

The whole group cheered excitedly in agreement. After a day like today, no one deserved a celebration in their name as much as Marnie did.

Marnie's face turned red in embarrassment as all eyes fell on her. Savior of Spikemuth… gonna have to talk them outta that one, later…

"If it's all the same to you guys", Marnie replied, "I'm a bit tuckered out after today… I'm not sure how much pomp I've got in me for a party today. Maybe another night? I really just wanna go home and take a nap…"

Piers smiled tenderly, gently embracing his little sister with one of his arms. "Sure kid, whatever you want."

"Thanks", Marnie said as she leaned onto her brother. "Now, the lot of ya, clear outta here, would ya? I gotta finish gettin' the rest of my stuff together."

Piers raised a brow. "Sure you don't need a hand?"

"Nah", she insisted. "'Sides, I've got some errands to run on the way home… might take me a minute y'know? I'd feel bad draggin' you all along with me."

"It's not a problem", Piers replied. "I don't think anyone here would mind lendin' you-"

"I know, I know", Marnie interjected, "and I'm grateful for all of ya, really. But you're all… well, you're all a bit of a commotion. And after the day I've had, I think some quiet time to myself would do me some good…"

Piers nodded with a smile. "I gotcha, kiddo", he said gently. "We'll see ya at home." He turned to the Yell gang. "Pack it up, boys 'n broads, we're headin' back!", he said as he began to usher the group out the door.

"I should probably be heading out, too", Hop said as the crowd dispersed from the room. "I promised Professor Sonia I'd help out with a research project she was working on today, and I'm already gonna be getting back into town later than I thought I was." He smiled at Marcus, trying not to snicker in front of him - the reality of his best friend stepping into Team Yell was still undeniably funny to him, even if it was only for a day. "How about you, mate? What's on the champion's agenda for the rest of the day?"

Marcus scratched his head. "Well, the champion desperately needs to find a stylist that can remove the dye from his hair before his manager chews him out for acting out against his contract."

"Ha! Well, you've certainly got your work cut out for you there", Hop laughed. "Piers said that that stuff wouldn't come out for weeks."

Marnie turned her back on the two boys as they continued to talk, her face turning pink.

Morpeko looked up at her trainer with curious eyes.

"Yeah", Marcus continued, "but then my only other option is lopping it all off, and I really don't want to have to go around with my head shaved nearly bald."

Hop chuckled. "I don't even wanna think about you being bald, mate!"

Marcus nodded with a smirk. "Me neither, so wish me luck."

As their conversation came to a close, the room had almost entirely cleared out - it was just the two of them, standing near the door, and Marnie, standing near the opposing wall.

"Well, I'd better get going", Hop said with a wave before turning to the door. "Congrats again on an amazing win today, Marnie!"

Marcus smiled. "I should probably be on my way, too", he said to Marnie as Hop left the room.

Marnie remained on the other side of the room, her back turned to Marcus. She made no reply, nor any hint of having even heard him.

Marcus found this reaction, or lack thereof, to be a bit strange. He wondered if something might be wrong, a twinge of concern creeping in on him. His first thought was to try and ask her if she was alright. However, the circumstances dictated otherwise. Marnie just finished the fiercest match of her life under the highest stakes she'd ever faced in front of the entire world. The kind of tension and exhaustion that must've caused her must be excruciating. And as much as he wanted to celebrate her victory with her, to talk with her, to be next to her, he fully understood a person's needs for a break from social interaction - he and Marnie certainly weren't too different in that regard. So, he opted not to pry, instead choosing to allow her the space she had requested. He gave one last warm smile before turning to leave. "See you around, Marnie."

Marnie's hands began to tremble. "M-Marcus…"

Marcus froze in place, turning around to see Marnie now walking towards him. She stopped in front of him, her usually-pale face now a vibrant shade of red.

The young gym leader's heart seemed to stand still in her chest, and the time and space around her seemed to do the same.

He looked at her with concern in his eyes. "Is... is everything alright?"

Memories of the time she'd spent with him came flooding back to her. Memories from the Gym Challenge, when they first met, and their ensuing rivalry. Memories from the Macro Cosmos incident in Wyndon before the finals. Memories from the time they opened up to one another in the Slumbering Weald. Memories from the comradery they shared at his party later that night. Even memories from just the past few weeks. For as long as Marnie had known him now, Marcus always seemed to be there for her, whether she realized she needed him or not. He was there through their rivalry, pushing her to become a stronger trainer. He was there when she lost in the semi-finals of the championship - even though he himself was the one to defeat her - to comfort her and reassure her of her strengths. He was there to help tend to her injuries and cheer her up in the woods. He was there every step of the way during this crisis of her life, helping her to grow in strength and in confidence. Not once had he ever hesitated to do anything and everything in his power to be there for her, and the more he continued to stand beside her, the more she realized she was beginning to crave it. Something just didn't feel right when he wasn't around. She found herself wanting to walk with him, talk with him, stand with him - be with him - all of the time.

Now, more than ever.

She'd been noticing an emotional pull towards the young champion for quite some time now, and had considered opening up to him about it on several occasions. Yet, she always found herself too hesitant to do so. Whether this was due to a lack of confidence, or the feeling that she was unsure if she was properly processing her own emotions, or some combination of the two, she wasn't certain. Now was a different matter entirely. As she looked the young lad in his dark honey-brown eyes, she couldn't help becoming overwhelmed by deep feelings of joy - deeper than she'd ever known before - that his eyes could look upon her with such nurturing concern. That someone like him would even notice her, let alone care for her as much as he did, filled her with a sense of happiness so great, it was simply beyond words.

Her cup was running over - she had to tell him. Even if nothing came of it. He had to know.

"...Marnie?", Marcus asked again.

Without warning, she reeled back and punched him hard on the left shoulder.

"Ahh!", he yelped in shock as he recoiled from the pain. "Jeez, what was that!?"

"That's for dressin' up like a knucklehead and embarrassin' me out there, you big dork!", she shouted, a flustered look resting well upon her face.

"Ugh", he whined as he rubbed his shoulder, twinging from the ache. "I-I wasn't trying to embarrass you", he began explaining, words nervously flowing from his mouth like rapid-fire, "I just wanted to, you know, cheer you on and be more energetic, and all that, and I thought maybe, you know, jumping in on the hype train with Team Yell might-"

His anxious dialogue was brought to a sudden and grinding halt when he felt the sudden sensation of her hands gently placed upon his right shoulder and her lips pressed tenderly against his cheek.

The moment ended just as Marcus came to realize it was even happening, but he continued to replay the sequence in his head over and over again. Morpeko held both of her hands over her cheeks as she smiled bright and wide, her eyes glowing with excitement - it was as if she'd been waiting for something like this to happen between the two of them for quite some time. Marnie had pulled away quickly, rolling off her tip-toes and back on to her heels. Her face was so red now that it almost seemed to glow as she looked down and away from Marcus in a fluster.

Marcus felt his own face grow warm as he placed his hand upon his cheek where Marnie had kissed him. "A-and… and that? Wh-what was that for?"

She continued to glance downward, daring not to face him in her current flushed state. "That was for… y-y'know… everythin' else."

The two stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds - seconds that felt like an eternity - before Marnie ran past him for the exit. He quickly turned, a short verbal noise escaping his mouth as he instinctively extended an arm to reach out for her as she ran past. She paused at the door, turning back to him one final time.

Her face was as red as Marcus had ever seen it, extending across her cheeks all the way to her ears. Her delicate green eyes looked at him tenderly, gleaming with adoration. And she smiled, bright, beaming, warm - he'd never seen a smile from her more beautiful.

She turned away once more and bolted out the door, Morpeko following on her heels as she squeaked with unbridled excitement.

Marcus could think to do nothing but stand there, with rose-tinted cheeks and his hand back to his face, staring at where Marnie had once been standing. He couldn't help but allow a faint smile to purse his lips as he remained there, utterly bewildered.

What was that all about…?

AN: Someone brought up some interesting points to me as they read through this chapter - does Weston suffer from what is referred to as "Gifted Kid Syndrome"? Did he grow up in an abusive household? As I write this note, these are questions that I do not have the answers to. I wanted to humanize all of the characters of this story - antagonists included. But beyond this goal, I don't have a fully-fleshed out backstory in mind to warrant Weston's behavior - merely a general idea. Maybe that's something I'll focus on in the future? Who knows.

Marnie x (playable character) is OTP. You can't change my mind. More on that in future stories. :)