As the young champion and his Cinderace found themselves nearing the end of the east-bound tunnel to Route 07, the bright light out the afternoon sun beckoned them forward.

"Unbelievable", Marcus said to Cinderace as he scrolled through his phone. "More than four weeks later, and Raihan's video of us walking is still trending… the wonders of the internet, am I right?"

Cinderace shrugged, not knowing how to answer otherwise, as he continued to hack a pebble into the air with his feet as he walked.

As the duo exited the tunnel into the outside air, the rhythmic sounds of trucks backing into reverse could be heard, positioning themselves for an adequate ease off of the workload for the many jobs the drivers and their crews had ahead of them.

"Wow", Marcus remarked quietly, "Aster's really not wasting any time with this. It's only been three days since the match, and the construction team is already here."

Cinderace nodded, equally impressed.

Then again, Marcus thought to himself, this is probably the same team he mentioned he'd hired a month ago… they've probably been gnawing at the bit just to get started on something.

The partly-cloudy skies that spanned the horizon over the eastern Galar region today were an unusual sight, but a most-welcome departure from the thick overcast that typically hung high in the air, blocking out the light like a thick curtain over a window. Today, the white-gold glow of the afternoon pervaded across the land, gracing the earth below with the gift of its gentle warmth - a rather dramatic juxtaposition to the commotion on the ground, where trucks, bulldozers, cranes, and other construction vehicles stationed themselves around the vicinity of Spikemuth, unloading supplies and equipment in preparation for the anticipated work ahead. While it wasn't necessarily the most picturesque sight to behold, it was an exciting one - the skies were bright over Spikemuth as the city entered a new day, one that promised change and progress for the betterment of everyone. The future was looking bright.

Marcus was back in his normal designer clothes with a gray knit-cap on his head - with the usual cold draft coming down from the north, it was serving more than just as a means to stay incognito among the public.

The main entrance to the city was abuzz with activity, with Pokemon such as Machamp and Gurdurr moving and assembling hardware, construction workers in hard-hats a bright yellow vests briefing one another on the construction plans, and a Corviknight occasionally taking flight to help airlift pieces of scaffolding into place.

"Hey, kid", a worker called out to Marcus as the young champion approached the main entrance of the city. "You live here?"

Marcus halted, startled by the interaction he was suddenly having to take part in. "Uh, n-no, sir."

"Well, you're gonna have to stay clear then", the worker stated. "The work zone up ahead is pretty precarious, so we're limiting thru-traffic to residents only."

"Oh, a-alright", Marcus replied timidly as he began to turn around. Guess I'll have to come back another time.

"Oi, Marcus!", a familiar voice called out behind him.

Marcus quickly turned around towards the source of the sound.

"Piers?"

Piers made his way out to Marcus, his hands in his pockets as he slouched forward. "Well, here's a shocker… figured we'd be seein' you 'round here eventually, but not this soon."

Marcus chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah… I, uh, I was in the area and had some spare time, so I thought-"

Their conversation was interrupted by the grinding of saws against wood and jackhammers against concrete as the construction team commenced their diligent labor.

Cinderace cringed as he covered his long ears - he was particularly sensitive to loud noises.

"Maybe we should bounce, find a quieter place to do our chin waggin', yeah?", Piers shouted over the noise.

"Yeah", Marcus agreed with a nod.

. . .

The sounds of construction and engineering could be heard echoing across the plains surrounding Spikemuth as Marcus and Piers sat on a grassy knoll beneath the berry tree that grew there, a gentle breeze caressing them in its passing. Cinderace continued to juggle rocks with his feet near the bottom of the hill.

"Yeah, Aster's crew got out here pretty quick to start with the renovations to the Gym", Piers remarked. "I was pretty surprised myself."

"So they're already starting the upgrade, huh?", Marcus asked. "How's that supposed to work, anyway, what with the whole city being underground and all?"

Piers glanced back towards the town. "We had our worries at first, too… last thing Spikemuth needs when it's just startin' to get hope back is a cave in, right? Aster n' his crew seem pretty confident that won't happen, though. The team of Excadrill they brought along to do the digging above the city seem to know their way around the dirt, and they've got a handful o' Psychic-Types on hand in case any big rocks fall from the ceiling."

"Well that's cool", Marcus replied. "I guess it makes sense, them starting with the gym and all. Bring in more spectators for battles, bring in more traffic for businesses to start growing… the works, right?"

"Basically", Piers nodded, looking outward towards the construction site, a look of uncertainty on his face.

Marcus raised a brow. "You… don't seem that excited", he remarked.

Piers glanced back at the champion, shrugging his shoulders. "Nah, I guess I don't, do I?"

"Is something the matter?"

Piers smirked. "Y'know, Marn was right about you… you really shouldn't spend so much time worryin' 'bout everyone around you, it's no wonder you have anxiety."

Marcus chuckled. "I can't help it, I guess, it's just my nature."

Piers's expression returned to that of uncertainty as he looked back towards Spikemuth. "I guess… I dunno, I guess I'm just waitin' for somethin' else to go wrong."

Marcus looked confused. "Why…? What's that mean?"

Piers sighed. "Spikemuth's spent a lot of time bein' kicked 'round and pushed to the side as a community by the rest o' Galarian society for a long time now… as long as I can remember, maybe even longer. That kind o' treatment makes ya wary of strangers after awhile… now, Spikemuth is bein' invaded by strangers. Yeah, they say they're here to help n' all, n' I got no reason to doubt 'em, but… I dunno, I guess it just feels too good to be real."

Marcus nodded in understanding. "I guess I can understand where you're coming from", he responded. "But… after everything that's happened these past few weeks, I don't see Spikemuth taking any steps back any time soon. The change is gonna be dramatic for all of us, Spikemuth in particular, but everyone's gonna be a lot closer and a lot better off at the end of the day because of it." He looked at Piers and grinned. "I-I know you didn't ask for it or anything, but that's my two-cents on the matter."

Piers looked at the young champion and smiled. "Hmm… always the optimist… I can see why Marn likes you."

Marcus chuckled awkwardly as his mind flustered at those words. "I-I mean, r-really, it's not a big deal… I just, you know, like to try to keep looking forward… and all…"

Marcus… stop talking...

"It is a big deal, though", Piers insisted. "Hope… it ain't somethin' Spikemuth has been all too familiar with 'til recently. We're not exactly known for bein' a crown jewel of success stories 'round here, you get me? In a town like this, it's easy to get down and stay there." He grinned wide as he reminisced. "Now, Marnie, she was always a bit different in that sense. Even as a lil' tyke, she dreamed big… dreamed of bein' the next champ n' all that. That dream of hers became the dream of everyone in the city. She was Spikemuth's claim to fame, she was gonna take us all up to the top." His grin faded as he continued. "But, y'know, you can imagine what kinda pressure that puts on a girl her age… with every stumble, she'd get pretty down on herself, feel like she'd let everyone down. I don't think anyone ever meant to put her in that position, but, it's like… everyone started turnin' to her for hope, but when she lost it, she didn't have anyone to lean on herself."

Marcus never noticed the slightest hint of everything Piers had just described to him. For as long as he'd known Marnie, she always seemed so strong and collected. The pressure of being the golden child - it was something Marcus himself understood, to a degree. To think that she had been living under the weight of such stress for so long, it must have been unbearable.

"Then she met you."

Marcus's eyes went wide in shock.

Piers smiled again. "Outta nowhere one day durin' the challenge, she started talkin' 'bout this kid she'd met at registration, said he was her biggest rival. Lost to him outright everytime, she said. But she didn't let it bring her down - quite the opposite, actually. Rather than gettin' down on herself for losin', she immediately started turnin' 'round and tryin' to figure out how to get stronger from it." He turned to Marcus. "She became obsessed with tryin' to beat you, and I think through that n' all the battlin' she did with you, she started realizin' that anythin' is possible."

Marcus didn't know what to say. The idea of him making a significant difference in anyone's life was foreign to him. "I… I-I mean, she was already really strong when we first met, and…"

"Y'know, you might just be the most modest champion Galar's ever had", Piers interrupted with a light chuckle. "But Marnie's stronger and more confident than she's ever been… she found the strength to hope again. And honestly, I think you were a pretty big part in that, Marcus." He smiled at the young champion. "I'm glad she's got a friend like you to lean on."

It had been a long-standing fear in Marcus's mind that he wasn't putting forth his equal share in his friendships with other people. He was surrounded by some of the greatest people in the world, the best friends anyone could ever ask for. The lengths to which they'd go for him were more than he could ever ask of anyone, and he was incredibly grateful to have them in his life. At the same time, however, he also felt guilty, like his contributions to his friendships weren't enough, that he wasn't a good enough friend to them, not the kind that he felt they deserved, at least.

So to hear these claims about Marnie from Piers left Marcus feeling a plethora of different emotions, all intermingling in unison. He felt joy knowing that after everything Marnie had done for him, he had been able to do something to begin to return the favor. He felt incredibly flattered that someone as head-strong as her essentially saw him as her goal. He felt happy knowing that he had such an impact on someone who'd had such an enormous impact on him in return. He felt relief knowing that he seemed to have her brother's approval...

Wait… where did that come from?

"Is she…" Marcus started quietly. "Is she around?"

Piers shook his head. "Nah, not today. 'Fraid she's in Wyndon right now, havin' a chinwag with the folk from the League 'bout hostin' sanctioned matches at some o' the other venues 'cross Galar instead of only at Wyndon Stadium. Givin' everywhere in the region a chance at some more publicity, y'know?"

"Oh", Marcus replied tepidly, sinking a little in disappointment. Figures, one of the few times I'm NOT in Wyndon…

"That reminds me, though", Piers said, "she did ask me to pass a message to you if you dropped by when she wasn't around."

"Y-yeah?" Marcus shot to attention in excitement. What could it be!?

Piers smiled. "She told me to tell ya ''Thanks''."

Marcus's posture sank slightly again. He had quickly created several fantasy scenarios in his head about whatever message Marnie had for him - this was not one of them. He came to grin, though, as he hung upon her message - its context, its meaning.

Typical Marnie… a girl of few words, but they always speak volumes.

He smiled at Piers. "Tell her I said ''No problem''."

Another breeze rolled across the knoll, the grass moving along with the current like an emerald cascade. At the bottom of the hill, Cinderace was now juggling three pebbles in the air with only his feet to the awe and amazement of a small group of wild Clobbopus.

"Sorry, Marcus", he said. "You got me feelin' bad now, you comin' all the way out here for nothin' n' all…"

"Actually", Marcus interjected, perking up slightly, "there was another reason I came by today."

"Oh?", Piers inquired. "And what's that?"

"Well, you see, I'm here to return something", Marcus replied, taking his bag off of his back and setting it on the ground. He reached inside and pulled out the sleeveless leather jacket Piers had given him to use during the match three days prior.

"So that's it then, eh?", Piers asked with a smirk. "Retirin' from Team Yell already?"

Marcus let out a chuckle in between a sigh. "I just don't have the social energy to do what you guys do, it takes too much out of me… I swear, I probably conked out faster than Umbreon did when we got home that night."

"Well, that's a bummer", Piers replied as he collected the jacket from Marcus. "It's a shame… it was pretty cool havin' the reignin' champ in our ranks n' all. But, I guess this kinda thing ain't everyone's cup o' tea." He smiled. "Besides, I know you've got your own way of showin' Marnie your support, n' whatever it is, it's workin'. So maybe it's best you just keep doin' what you're doin', yeah?"

Marcus nodded, giving a warm smile. "That's the plan." He rose to his feet, placing his bag back onto his back. "I should probably get going… I'm starting to get a little chilly."

"What, not a fan of the shivers, Farm Boy?", Piers jested.

Marcus laughed. "The correct term is ''weenie'', and no."

Piers chuckled at this as he and the champion began to part ways. "Take it easy, Marcus."

Marcus made his way down the hill and walked past Cinderace, who took this as the cue to get ready to leave and allowed the pebbles he was juggling to fall to the ground before breaking into a light jog to catch up with his trainer.

"Oi, Marcus, one more thing", Piers called out. "Another message from Marn."

Marcus stopped in his tracks and quickly turned back to Piers with a curious and somewhat excited look as he anticipated what was about to be said. There was more!?

Piers smiled. "She wanted me to tell you that when things with the gym get sorted out… she wants a rematch."

Marcus let out a light sigh as he smiled. Once again, this wasn't what he thought he was hoping to hear, but it was exactly what he expected from her.

Typical Marnie...

"Tell her that she can count on it."

AN: Well, I unintentionally wrote a novel. If you had the patience to make it all the way to the end, you are my hero. Thank you so much for reading!

In my readings and studies of fanfictions across the web, I noticed a lot of works that included mentions of Spikemuth's rise from rags without really delving into how they get there. This was something that I really wanted to delve into further. I always thought that the premise of Spikemuth's poverty and ostracization was a unique take on a setting in the world of Pokemon with a great deal of potential to tell its own tale.

What did you think of Spikemuth's story? Do you think they manage to rise and flourish after the Gym Challenge? What's your story for the city's development? Let me know in a review!

Once more, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this installment of Marcus's story! I'm super excited to get to dive into how the experiences from this tale will shape Marcus and company in the stories to come. Stay tuned, everyone!