"After claiming the Fire Badge, Victor and Gloria return to the Wild Area, where they make new friends, face new dangers and new lessons, while they and their Pokémon grow stronger. Now, they finally arrive at Hammerlocke…"
"A Hammerlocke Arrival"
Victor, Gloria, and Hop are walking into Hammerlocke, with Gloria stretching her arms.
"I'm so glad to be back in a real city," Gloria says. "Our first stop should be getting some food and rest."
"Sounds good to me," Victor says, before he looks to his side. "Hop?"
"Oh, hum, yeah, sound good," Hop responds.
"Hop…" Victor starts.
"Look," Gloria says, causing her friends to look ahead.
Several feet ahead, Bede and Marnie are facing off against each other, with their Pokémon, Hattrem and Morpeko, in Full Belly Mode.
"It's Bede…" Hop says.
"And Marnie…" Gloria adds.
"And they're battling," Victor realizes.
"Hattrem, use Psybeam!" Bede calls out.
"Morpeko, dodge with Quick Attack!" Marnie instructs.
"Rem!" Hattrem holds up its arms, before holding them down, shooting a ray from them.
"Morpe!" Morpeko runs past, as the beam hits the ground.
"Keep going, Hattrem!" Bede instructs.
"Rem! Rem!" Hattrem keeps on shooting rays from its hands.
"Morpe! Morpe!" Morpeko runs left to right, at a breakneck speed, while the rays keep on just missing it. "Morpe!"
Morpeko jumps up and slams its body against Hattrem, who blasts Morpeko back with another ray.
"Morpe!" Morpeko falls backward through the air, before its body glows and shifts appearance.
"Morpeko just changed?" Victor asks.
"It must have been its Hunger Switch Ability," Gloria realizes. "It changed to Hangry Mode."
Gloria's Rotom Phone flies up, "Morpeko, the Two-Sided Pokémon, Hangry Mode, Intense hunger drives it to extremes of violence, and the electricity in its cheek sacs has converted into a Dark-type energy."
"Now, Morpeko, drop down with Power Trip!" Marnie calls out.
"Hattrem, don't let it, use Dazzling Geam!" Bede instructs.
"Morpe!" Morpeko glows with dark energy, before falling downward.
"Rem!" Hattrem spreads its arms, as a bright flash emerges, while Morpeko approaches it quickly.
A flash of light and energy spreads out, before Hattrem and Morpeko are thrown back.
"Rem…" Hattrem holds back one arm, as it looks ahead.
"Morpe," Morpeko's body glows and it shifts back to Full Belly Mode, then looks ahead.
"Hattrem…" Bede starts.
"Morpeko…" Marnie starts.
"Let's go!"
A round of applause interrupts everyone, as they, Trainers and Pokémon, look to the side to see the applauding is coming from Chairman Rose, who is walking toward them with Oleana, Sonia, and Raihan.
"Now, now, that should be enough," Rose stops applauding. "We don't want to tear up the city streets, do we?"
"As you wish, Chairman," Bede says, as he relaxes.
Sonia looks ahead to see Victor, Gloria, and Hop, before smiling, "Well, isn't this just a reunion party."
Marnie picks up Morpeko and looks to the side, "When did you get here?"
"A-a few minutes ago," Victor blushes.
"Oh, I see," Marnie says.
"Morpe," Morpeko happily says.
Marnie smiles at her Pokémon, before looking back up at the three, "Oh, Victor, I saw your battle against Kabu online. Congratulations on the victory."
"Thanks, but, it was really because of my Pokémon," Victor scratches the back of his head, as Hop looks over to him.
"Modest, huh?" Gloria teases, as she bumps her elbow against his side.
"Tsh, so annoying," Bede says under his breath, before he starts to approach Rose. "Chairman Rose, I got what you wanted."
"We will talk later, son," Rose says.
Sonia and Raihan walk over to Victor, Gloria, Hop, Marnie and Morpeko.
"Victor, Gloria, Hop, I want to introduce you three to Raihan, Hammerlocke's Gym Leader," Sonia says.
"Good to meet you," Raihan says, before looking over to Victor. "Hey, I remember you at the opening ceremony, you were pretty nervous."
"Yes, I was, sir…" Victor blushes.
"No need to call me 'sir', it's just Raihan," he says, before placing a hand to his chin. "Victor and Hop, huh? So you're two are the Gym Challengers endorsed by my rival."
"Your rival?" Victor asks. "You mean the Champion, Leon?"
"Yep, we've been rivals for years," Raihan starts. "We even had an exhibition match not too long ago."
"Yeah, Hop watched it on repeat," Gloria says, as she looks over to her friend.
"Hum, yeah, I watched it a lot," Hop responds.
"I'm flattered, although I'm still unable to beat him, but someday will be my day," Raihan says.
Gloria looks away from Hop and back to Sonia, "Oh, Sonia, I almost forgot, what are you doing in Hammerlocke?"
"I've been continuing my research into the Darkness Day, and it brought me here, to Hammerlocke," Sonia explains.
Rose looks over to Sonia, which Bede notices, before he also looks over to her and the others.
"Chairman Rose, you got a lot of work to do," Oleana says to him.
Rose looks over his shoulder to Oleana, "Right, of course." Rose looks back to the rest of the group, "I'm must go, but best of luck in your Gym Challenges."
Rose then looks back to Bede, "Walk with me, Bede."
Bede, Rose, and Oleana start walking away, as Victor watches.
"I must also go," Marnie says to the rest of the group. "And prepare to continue my journey to Stow-on-Side."
"Take care, Marnie," Victor says.
"You too," Marnie responds.
"Morpe!" Morpeko waves at them, before Marnie turns and walks away.
Sonia leans in to Gloria, "Excuse me, but Hop seems kinda down. I thought he would be really hype to meet Leon's rival."
Hop looks down and then at Bede, as he walks away with Rose and Oleana.
Gloria looks to Sonia, "Hop lost pretty badly to Bede recently, and he hadn't been himself since then."
Sonia leans back, smiling, "Then I might just have what will cheer him up." Sonia turns to Raihan, "Remember, you promised to show me the vault."
"Oh, right, of course," Raihan responds, blushing.
Outside the Hammerlocke Vault, Raihan starts to lead Sonia, Victor, Gloria, and Hop inside.
"What is this place?" Gloria asks.
"It's Hammerlocke Vault, it houses our greatest treasure, our history," Raihan answers.
"Definitively no better treasure than knowledge," Sonia adds, as the group climbs up the flight of stairs.
The group stands in front of four large tapestries hanging on the walls of a rounded room.
"So these are the tapestries that tell the story of the Darkness Day?" Sonia asks.
The first tapestry shows two young males, as something falls from the sky in smoke, with Sonia saying, "It I'm not mistaking, the first tapestry is showing two youths watching a… Wishing Star."
The second tapestry shows the same two young males, scared, as the sky storms, and people are seen in front of flames, holding up spears.
"The second show some sort of a disaster," Gloria says.
"But look at the next one," Sonia says.
The third tapestry shows the two young males, each with a fist raised, as a sword and a shield split the storming sky, as Sonia continues, "It looks like a sword and a shield stopped the disaster…"
The fourth tapestry shows the two young males, holding hands, wearing royal clothes and crowns, in front of a castle.
"Before the youths were crowned," Sonia continues. "Is this the start of a kingdom within Galar?"
"Something's wrong…" Hop says.
"What are you talking about?" Gloria asks.
"Wait," Victor says, surprising his friends, before he looks at them. "That statue we saw in Motostoke, it shows one hero stopping the Darkest Day, not two."
"You're right," Sonia says, with the three Trainers looking at her. "These tapestries might not show the full story, or that statue doesn't, and this still doesn't explain how the Darkest Day got started in the first place."
"Unfortunately, no one might ever learn how the Darkest Day got started, or the full story of how it ended," Raihan says.
"Perhaps, but I'm never gonna give up," Sonia says, unaware of Hop looking at her, closely. "Never."
Victor, Gloria, Sonia, Raihan, and Hop are walking away from the Hammerlocke Vault.
"So where are you going next to try and learn about the Darkest Day," Gloria says to Sonia.
"Actually, there's something in Stow-on-Side I want to check out," Sonia says, with a smile. "So I might see you guys again soon enough."
"Just make sure you don't get lost like my rival would," Raihan adds.
As the others laugh, Hop stops walking and looks over to the vault.
"Victor."
The rest of the group stop walking and look over to Hop, who is facing them, "I want to battle you. One on one."
"Hop…" Victor says, before he turns to face him completely. "Okay, I accept."
"You gonna battle? Now?" Sonia asks.
"It's fine, Sonia," Raihan says, with his arms crossed. "Besides, we already saw what Bede and Marnie are capable of. I'm curious to see what they could do."
Victor throws a Poké Ball, "I choose you, Scorbunny!"
"Scor!"
Hop throws a Poké Ball, "I choose you, Grookey!"
"Key!"
"Let's start out strong, Grookey," Hop starts. "Use Razor Leaf!"
"Key!" Grookey jumps back and swings around its stick, as sharp leaves fly out of its head.
"Scorbunny, jump around, use the environment to avoid the attacks!" Victor instructs.
"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps off a nearby lightpost, as a couple leaves deflect off it. "Scor! Scor!"
Scorbunny jumps off the side of a building, then off the front of a signpost, dodging sharp leaves each time.
"Scorbunny, keep on jumping and use Ember!" Victor calls out.
"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps off another building, before shooting a series of small fireballs from its mouth.
"Grookey, dodge and continue Razor Leaf!" Hop instructs.
"Key!" Grookey jumps up, as small fireballs hit the ground, then swings its stick forward, shooting more sharp leaves. "Key!"
"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps off the ground, dodging some sharp leaves, and shoots small fireballs from its mouth.
"Key!" Grookey moves to the side, with one fireball barely grazing it.
"I got to say, Scorbunny is pretty fast," Raihan crosses his arms.
"But is Scorbunny getting faster?" Sonia asks.
"Of course, Victor is trying to train Scorbunny during this battle," Gloria realizes.
"Train it during a battle?" Raihan asks.
"Yeah, Scorbunny has been trying to learn Double Kick," Gloria explains. "I think Victor is trying to boost its speed."
Hop looks up at the sun high in the sky, before looking ahead, "Here's go nothing. Grookey, use Solar Beam!"
"What?!" Victor exclaims, as everyone looks ahead, surprised.
"Key!" Grookey lands, slams the stick against the ground and then holds it up high, as energy is gathering on it. "Key! Key! Key!"
"I didn't think Grookey could learn Solar Beam," Sonia says.
"It can't, naturally at least," Raihan starts. "But it can be taught using a Technical Machine as a guide."
"Yeah, I picked one up back in Turffield, and has been trying to teach Grookey Solar Beam ever since," Hop explains. "But after I lost to Bede, I thought I would never be able to."
"You tried to use Solar Beam against Bede?" Victor asks.
"No, Bede beat us too fast before I had the chance," Hop shakes his head, then looks straight ahead. "But I'm not gonna give up. We're not gonna give up."
Victor smiles, "And neither will we. Scorbunny, stop Grookey with Ember!"
"Scor!" Scorbunny jumps into the air and fires small fireballs.
"Grookey, quick, dodge!" Hop instructs.
"Key! Key! Key!" Grookey jumps back, with energy continuing to gather on its stick, before jumping straight up. "Key! Key! Key!" In midair, Grookey aims the stick, glowing with energy, straight ahead. "Key!"
A massive blast of energy is shot from Grookey's stick, hitting Scorbunny, and blasting it straight back, before it slams hard onto the ground.
"Scorbunny!" Victor runs ahead to find his Pokémon lying on the ground, with its eyes whirling.
Victor picks up Scorbunny, "Scor…"
"It's alright, Scorbunny, you did well," Victor says.
"We won…" Hop says, before he runs to his Pokémon. "We did! We won!"
"Key!" Grookey jumps into Hop's arms, as he hugs it.
"Great job, Grookey," Hop happily says.
"Key!"
Gloria walks over to Victor, still holding Scorbunny, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, we might've lost, but seeing the result of Hop and Grookey's training with Solar Beam…" Victor starts, as he looks over to Hop, who is holding up Grookey, as he spins around. "Make me more certain than ever, that we could master Double Kick." He looks down at Scorbunny, "Right?"
Scorbunny smiles at its Trainer, "Scor!'
Inside the Hammerlocke Vault, Chairman Rose is looking at the second tapestry, showing the storming sky above the youths, before he starts smiling.
"Our heroes finally made it to Hammerlocke, where they found more clues to the Galar region's past, as well as renewed spirits. What could be next for Victor and Gloria?"
"Find out, as the journey continues…"