A/N: Alright, Gloria got her fourth Mon, let's get out of the Wild Area for now. It's time to get back to the story! I was really excited to get to Hammerlocke, there are a lot of really interesting story elements I think get glossed over in the games and I wanted to spend some more time with those little details, starting with the city walls itself. Hope you like the details and changes, too!

"So, a Trapinch, huh?"

"Yeah!" I said excitedly, Rotom phone pinched between my left ear and shoulder as I tossed some sticks in the air. Trapinch jumped eagerly to try and catch them, and though he was too slow to get to most, the few that he got were snapped in half like it was nothing. "He seems pretty energetic, Vic, I can't wait for you to meet him!"

"That's wicked, Gloria! I've never seen a dragon-type up close before! You'll be in Hammerlocke tomorrow, right?"

"Of course!"

"Brilliant timing," he cried. "Sonia and I are wrapping up out here. Nothing crazy going on with the Power Spots like back in the mainland."

"Oh, you heard about that."

"Mum wouldn't shut up when she called me. She even called Sonia to try and get her to send me home! How did she even get Sonia's number is what I want to know?"

"She never tried to get me to come home."

"Yeah, well, I guess she just loves me more."

"The first thing I do when I see you tomorrow is putting you in a headlock."

"Love you too, Gloria. Hey, by the way, how is Hop?"

I looked over at Hop, who was working on some sort of move combination between Thwackey and Cramorant I couldn't quite understand. "I dunno, Vic, have you not been keeping in touch?"

"He hasn't been responding to my texts. Not since Bede beat him. Few of the trainers at the Dojo keep asking about him, too.

"He must…look, Victor, we're in the Wild Area. Cell reception is spotty."

"Had no problems reaching you."

I tossed one final stick into the air, which snapped in half in Trapinch's mouth with a satisfying crunch. "Maybe we should talk about this some other time."

"Yikes. That bad, huh?"

"No? I don't know. He…look I'll tell you when I see you; it's hard to explain. Maybe you'll see for yourself." I looked back over at Hop. He had that same overly determined expression he had adopted in training sessions once we returned to the Wild Area

"Fine," Victor said with playful grumpiness. "Hey, I gotta finish packing up, so I'll see you tomorrow. Our train gets in a bit after noon if you want to meet us at the station."

"What? I didn't even ask you about the dojo!" I complained. "You haven't told me anything about this training you're doing!"

"Oh, I think you'll see well enough," he replied in a way that I could somehow hear a smirk forming on his face. "Talk to you tomorrow!"

"Bye, I guess," I said with a short laugh. As the line went dead, I thought to myself how his voice seemed a bit more…confident? Maybe he was just excited to see us again. I slipped my phone into my sweater pocket and walked over to Hop, who was just recalling Cramorant back into its Pokéball. He didn't look pleased. Thwackey looked at him, head tilted in curiosity, but Hop merely patted the green monkey on the head and turned back around to face me.

"How's Victor?" he asked.

"Ask him yourself, he said he's been trying to get in touch," I suggested, trying not to sound too much like his mother.

"Right…" Hop looked down sheepishly. "I've been really bad at responding recently, haven't I?"

"Hell, I've hardly been able to reach you and I'm just one tent over," I joked.

Hop laughed non-committedly and recalled Thwackey as well with a sigh. He then brushed right past me without a word and headed back to our campsite, kicking some dust over the pit we had dug for our campfire. He pulled his rolled-up tent into his large travel bag and hoisted it onto his shoulder before finally looking back at me expectantly. "We're set to get into Hammerlocke today, right?"

"Yeah, shouldn't be too much further," I said, walking over to him. Trapinch waddled behind me, sniffing around and snapping up a couple scraps of poffins we had made for breakfast. I let him wander the campsite while I finished stuffing everything into my bag, and finally recalled him, sending Bewear out as a replacement. Without any instruction, Bewear picked up the rest of our gear and slung it over his back with ease, bending over so I could scratch him behind the ears. I slipped him a spare Tamato berry I had picked the day before. He happily gobbled it up and made a low hum of thanks as we followed Hop away from our spot.

We walked in silence, Hop leading the way, closely followed by me, and then Bewear brought up the rear, I offered Bewear's services in helping lighten Hop's load, but he just humped his backpack up defiantly and started walking faster, much to my chagrin. Soon enough, we were entirely clear of the Dusty Bowl area, and weaving through giant rolling hills of long green grass. Hammerlocke was nestled at the foot of Galar's longest mountain range, so as the hills got steeper, I knew we'd be approaching our destination soon.

The skies were bright, and the sun beat down on us relentlessly, but while we sweated silently, Pokémon all around us were enjoying the lazy early summer weather. A Hawlucha was bravely sparring with a Corviknight, moving so quickly it was merely a red blur circling the giant pitch-black bird. A pair of Baltoys floated around in the soft breeze, not paying the slightest attention to a Growlithe lying belly-up and napping in the sunlight. Even a family of Machop and Machoke, known for constantly exercising and working their muscles, seemed to be taking a rest day, and jogged just near enough to us to watch us pass through. Even the occasional Dynamax Dens that we saw were calm; none of them even had enough energy to register on our Dynamax Bracelets.

Soon enough we found our path winding up a hill that stood taller than all the rest. At the very edge of the hills, I could see the Hammerlocke Mountains creating a makeshift crown, with the incredible spire of Hammerlocke towering above it all and fanning out, almost like antlers. "We're almost there!" I cried in excitement, pushing up past Hop with Bewear recklessly chasing me. We lumbered up the hill while Hop followed at a much slower rate. Eventually, we made it to the top, and looked out on the city that stood before us.

As amazing as it had looked from the North Motostoke Bridge, and as incredible it had always looked in photos and on TV, the city's gates really had to be seen to be believed. The blackened brick had been carved in the shape of a dragon's jaws, so that anyone entering the city from the Wild Area would have to wade through a sea of black teeth. Stretching out of the jaws like a wooden tongue was an ornate wooden bridge that spanned a man- or Pokémon-made moat, remnants of a time long before Galar was one nation. Pathways spread out wildly from the bridge's edge like a breath of fire. Looking up from the jaws, I could see that the rest of the dragon's face was elegant and terrifying at the same time. its jaws hinged high up in a grimace, and higher up were two beady eyes that despite being as black as the brick around it, seemed to still glow with a fierce sheen. Atop the eyes was a long sloping forehead that split into five sharp spikes that spread out evenly like fingers.

I blinked. Fingers? The vision of the Black Hand flashed in my mind, as bright and clear as it had been in the dreams. The resemblance was uncanny, and as I shook my head to clear my mind of it, I could just barely make out a faint line that rose up from the sides of the dragon's mouth. On top of the line, the black bricks seem to look just a little more defined, as if they were added to the wall much later than the bricks that were underneath the line. This had to be the spot from my dream. Where the final stand was made against the Black Hand. I knew this somehow but could not figure out why this was so present in my mind as I looked at the dragon in front of me.

"Wicked city arches, huh?" Hop said with a grin as he walked up. "'Bout near knocked the wind out of me too, and I didn't even run up the hill!"

"Hop, does that look like…like anything familiar to you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Hop studied the dragon as I studied his face. If he had any sudden realizations, he didn't show it. Instead, he studied the dragon meticulously and scratched his chin. "Actually, now that I really look at it, it does kind of look like a Dragapult, huh?"

I felt my heart drop. He'd have told me if he'd had any more of those dreams by now. "What about the spikes?" I asked desperately.

"Yeah, Dragapult don't have spikes, huh? Maybe it's an extinct Pokémon. You know what? Dr. Liss is an expert on Pokémon fossils, and she lives out by Stow-on-Side! Maybe we should stop by for a cuppa sometime."

"Right…" I sighed. He didn't recognize it. Guess the dream was just something my mind was doing to me. "Come on, Hop, let's hurry. We both need a shower as soon as possible."

"Oh, well aware of that one, mate."

"Was that genuine sarcasm, then?" I asked, giving him a smack on the arm. "Welcome back to the real world, Hop." He smiled sheepishly, and the two of us headed down the hill and towards the jaws of Hammerlocke, Bewear trailing closely behind. We walked in silence, mostly because I was so focused on the incredible display of stonework in front of us. The closer we got to the dragon, the more I could see some of the more intricate details, and as we finally reached the wooden bridge, I could see that each scale seemed to be carved into the giant beast's head. Each scale was roughly the size of my hand, and it was shaped like a roughly cut diamond, though they didn't shine like one. Another vision flashed in my mind, and I looked down at the Dynamax Bracelet on my wrist. I couldn't see it underneath the bracelet's various mechanisms, but I thought back to the crystals that fell to the ground outside Professor Magnolia's house. It seemed like a coincidence, but I remember it looking oddly similar to these scales.

As we began to cross the bridge and into the gaping maw that was the gate, we saw a large crowd forming in front of us. I recognized a lot of faces from the early days of the challenge, as well as a handful of people wearing jerseys from various gyms across the league. The crowd seemed to be focused on some figure or figures in the center. It looked like a crowd that Leon would draw whenever he would make a public appearance.

"Well, look who decided to finally show their faces!" came a familiar snarl from behind us. Hop and I whirled around and saw none other than Bede walking up from another path, cocky grin plastered on his pale skin. Under his arm, he held his bag, once again filled with what looked like another load of wishing stars. His Hatenna hopped along a few steps behind, humming softly.

"You lot have been dropping like stones in the rankings," he said callously. "Gotta keep winning, or in your case, Nambarek, start winning."

"Oh, stuff it, you bleached turnip," I growled.

"Charmed, as always, Dixon," he said coolly. Don't take your anger out on me now that you're out of the top twenty."

"I'm going into the top ten right now," I warned, grabbing Raboot's Pokéball. "Come on then, let's battle right now!" Bewear, hearing the challenge, dropped the camping gear with a loud clang and bellowed deeply in excitement at the prospect of a real battle. At the disturbance, a few kids at the edge of the crowd turned and started shouting in excitement.

"Look! It's Bede! And is that…?"

"Gloria and Hop? I thought they dropped out!"

"Are you mad? They've been training in secret, they're probably bloody powerful trainers now!"

"Is Gloria challenging Bede?"

"Oh, this is so wicked!"

Slowly the crowd started heading toward us. I could feel my heart rate picking up. Sure, it had been a couple weeks since my last Pokémon battle, but daily exercises with my team had us working at a comfortable and powerful level. Bede might have been a problem before, but he wouldn't be for much longer.

Bede, meanwhile, looked a long time at me, and then laughed haughtily. "As much as I'd love to drop your rankings even further, I've got an important meeting with the Chairman not long for now. I don't have time for a battle."

"Oh, my dear Bede, I believe you've got time," came a voice from behind us. I didn't have to turn around to recognize it to be Rose who had drawn such a crowd, but I turned anyway. He was in the same hat and sunglasses that he wore that night in Hulbury, but he also sported a bizarre white sweater/blue athletic shorts combo, making any attempt at going unnoticed with his dark glasses and hat completely fail. He stepped forward, smiling jubilantly at the prospect of a battle, taking a quick glance at his phone and sending a quick text. Behind him stood Oleana, who was dressed to the nines in bright red and dark black yet again, as if she just came from a Macro Cosmos board meeting. She looked first at her boss and then directly at me. Her eyebrow raised quizzically.

"Then in that case, let me do it," Hop interjected, looking at Bede intensely. "You got a leg up on me last time, but I've been training hard, and you won't stand a chance against my new strategy!"

"I didn't realize you knew what that was," Bede smirked. He was instantly rewarded with cheers and excitement from the crowd. "I suppose you'll get me to actually break a sweat this time?"

"More than you know, mate," Hop grinned. "Let's go then!" He whipped out his phone and started setting up the match parameters as the crowd circled around to watch the match. Maybe twenty or thirty people were watching, including Rose and me. Oleana stayed back, her eyes trained on me. I could feel her trying to bore a hole in my skull with them.

"Miss Dixon, I must say that it is wonderful to see you again," Rose said cheerily as he sauntered over, stopping only to place a hand on Bewear's head. "And nice to finally see you, Bewear! Now Gloria, I was a little concerned that you, your brother, and Mr. Nambarek over there had disappeared completely."

"Why were people so worried about that?" I asked in a huff. "We're in no rush, so we just went through the Wild Area. I thought that was the right way to go about it."

Rose laughed. "Ah, it is, I agree! There is much to be said about the old traditions of the gym challenge, but times change, and attention spans have…dwindled, so to speak. But good to see you cling to your heritage."

"Mr. Chairman, it's not that deep, we just wanted to catch some extra Pokémon for our teams," I muttered, flushing a little bit.

"And did you?"

"Yeah! I actually—"

"No, no, no!" He said, clapping his hand on my back. His touch felt wrong, almost alien, as if he wasn't sure how to properly interact with another human being. "Please, I'd love it to be a surprise. I'm sure your fans would like to see the fruits of your labor as well!"

"I have fans?"

"Miss Dixon, we really ought to get you some awareness of how social media works. Especially after your flawless victory against Kabu of all gym leaders, you really are generating a lot of buzz!"

There was a sudden rush of cheers as Hop and Bede's rematch began. Hop led with Cramorant, while Bede led with Gothorita. The two squared off like gunslingers in an old movie while the crowd quieted down, feeling the tension spark between the two trainers. I was standing behind Hop, so I couldn't see what he was thinking, but I noticed Bede had a quiet and calm look of determination. The two stared at each other for what felt like ten minutes before Bede finally broke eye contact, briefly glancing over at Rose, who was still next to me but buried in something on his phone.

Hop, seeing his chance, made the first move. "Alright Cramorant, just like we practiced! Fly up and fly fast!"

"Rock Tomb!" Bede yelled in response. Their Pokémon hopped into action immediately, Gothorita's eyes glowing that cold blue while Cramorant sped up and out into the sky, just narrowly avoiding the rocks that were shooting towards it.

"Come on, Hop!" I cried in excitement. Bewear roared along with me.

Rose looked up from his phone curiously. "Drat. I missed the first moves. You know, Gloria, when you know what to look for, you can learn a lot about how a person starts a battle. People tend to wear their heart on their sleeve when they face off like this."

I instantly thought of what Marnie had told me when we had our battle back in Motostoke. "Yeah," I agreed, "you aren't the first person to tell me that."

"Now let's see…Bede is currently number 1 in the ranks, and Hop, my oh my…forty-six and trending down. Not great."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "He's only lost one battle!"

"Sometimes one battle is all it takes," Rose shrugged, glancing at his phone again.

As if to prove his point, there was a loud crashing sound and the two of us looked back to the action, where Bede had landed another Rock Tomb, stopping Cramorant dead in its tracks. Cheers erupted and Bede smiled confidently. His smug aura seemed to be missing now that Rose was nearby. If only Rose had seen how Bede acted when he wasn't around. I clenched my fist while Hop withdrew Cramorant.

"Alright, you got lucky by starting off with a type advantage, mate," Hop laughed, but his voice cracked with nerves.

"See?" Rose whispered. "A lot of battles are mind games between trainers. The weaker mind almost always loses. Bede's won this one already."

"You don't know that," I said defensively. "Your brother, Vincent, was that his name? Seems nice, clearly had some potential, but every single battle he was so unsure of himself. Kabu picked up on that and that's why he lost."

I flushed and looked back at the battle. Hop had sent out Thwackey, who was having a bloody hard time trying to dodge a barrage of Psybeams, and only mostly successfully. "Come on, Hop, don't let him get to you!" I cried, though deep down, I had a bad feeling Rose's analysis was on the money.

"Mr. Legatum, we are going to be late for our meeting with the brothers," Oleana said. I nearly jumped a foot in the air. When the hell did she get behind me?

"Is five minutes really going to make that big of a difference?"

"They threatened to pull out of the project for your laisses-faire attitude at the last meeting. Punctuality means a lot for people—"

"People with no real job, right, right," Rose huffed. "I suppose you do make a compelling argument, Oleana, even if the reason for this meeting is battling right now. I suppose I'll just hurry on along then. Do you mind waiting for Bede to finish up here? Bring him right away."

"Yes, Mr. Legatum—"

"Oleana, my dear, you know you can call me by my first name. You're more than just my secretary, aren't you?"

"Y-yes, Rose," she agreed, albeit with some difficulty.

"Wonderful. I wouldn't keep my head screwed on if it weren't for you. Shame we keep having to cut our encounters short, Miss Dixon. I do hope we'll have a bit more time to speak at our next meeting. Will you be facing Raihan already?"

"N-not even close to facing dragons," I said with a humble grin. "I know he's tough, and I don't really have an answer for dragon types just yet."

"Fair cop, but he's only going to be a bigger threat the longer you put him on the backburner. Just don't get too into your head and you'll be fine. Ta!" he turned and walked away just as the crowd exploded again. I looked back at the match. Thwackey was down. Had Hop even managed to land a single hit?

"Good to see you again, Miss Dixon," said Oleana in her flat affect. I looked up at her to see that she was not making eye contact but was instead also watching the battle between Hop and Bede.

"You can call me by my first name too. You aren't even my secretary."

"A charmer." She spoke stiffly but I thought I saw the slightest hint of a smile crack on her face. I suppose that was as human of a reaction as I was going to get and turned back to the battle. Hop had just thrown his third Pokéball, and Corvisquire popped out, much to the murmurs of the crowd. I glanced over at Bede, who was not even focused on Hop. Instead, he was watching Rose walk away. His eyes were large as dinner plates.

"Hop, now's your chance! He's distracted!" I cried.

Hop looked back and flashed a grin. "Good call mate! Corvisquire! Fury attack!" Corvisquire let out a magnificent caw and burst toward Gothorita. Bede snapped to attention at the last second, and though he commanded Gothorita to dodge, it was too late for her to get away from the bird. I, and a few others cheered, but I noticed that the cheers weren't as loud for Hop as they had been for Bede. Hop also seemed to notice, because he looked around in surprise.

"Do you remember what I told you when we last spoke alone?" Oleana asked. I looked back at her. Her eyes were switching back and forth between Hop and Bede, scrutinizing them both.

"About how to act in public? Yeah, it was a little weird," I muttered.

"You misunderstand. I only told you to stay sharp. This is what happens when you do not." She gestured at Hop. "Those with drive will always overtake those who do have none. It is the way of the world."

As she said it, Bede's face lit up with anger and determination. "Stay close to me, Gothorita," he ordered, and Gothorita, shaken from the attack but still standing, jumped over closer to him. Corvisquire circled above, waiting for Hop to make his call.

"You've got me back to the wall, but I'm not finished with you yet!" Hop yelled. He jabbed a finger directly at Gothorita. "Pluck! Let's go!"

Corvisquire flew up so that it could crash back down with impressive force as Oleana fully turned to me. "You see how this will end, do you not?"

I nodded. "He's letting Corvisquire get close so he can—"

"Rock Tomb!" Bede roared.

Corvisquire was only inches away when the first rock shot up, smashing directly into its belly. Three other glowing blue stones shot directly at the bird, hitting it all at the same time and sending it crumpling to the ground. Another Pokémon shot down in one single hit. Hop fell to his knees as the crowd cheered for Bede. But Bede did not seem to even notice. He was once again looking in the direction Rose had disappeared.

"Bede has more drive than any other trainer in the world," Oleana said simply. "Mr. Legatum saw his drive, much like he saw mine years ago. He has a knack for finding people like us – people who can reshape the world."

"But Bede is an arse."

Oleana allowed herself to chuckle. "He may be rough around the edges, but his drive will make him succeed. Mr. Legatum has talked about you many times. He sees that drive in you as well. Do well to prove him right and you could have a long and prosperous future with Macro Cosmos."

"I dunno…the girlboss lifestyle works for you, but I'd like to keep my options open."

"You are young, but I am sure you will understand soon enough."

"You gonna send out your last Pokémon any time soon? I told you I have an important meeting that I am now late to," Bede snarled.

Hop hadn't moved from the ground. Corvisquire had regained consciousness and hobbled over to Hop. He tapped Corvisquire on its beak with a Pokéball and the bird was recalled inside. "Go on then," he muttered, barely louder than a whisper. "Get out of here. I…I surrender."

Both Rotom phones lit up, finishing their recordings and tallying the results, while the crowd cheered loudly. Bede smirked and recalled Gothorita and Hatenna, who had been humming along behind him the whole time. As the crowd gathered to join him, he pushed through and headed straight toward Oleana and me.

"Come on then," he said, grabbing at his Rotom phone as it zipped back into his hand. "We're running late. We should hurry, Miss Oleana."

"Think on what I told you," Oleana said, raising one eyebrow again before turning and walking away briskly with Bede. The crowd started to slowly disperse as well. A few people stopped to talk to me, but I brushed them aside as I saw Hop still sitting on the bridge. He had pulled himself into a cross-legged sitting position, and was sitting facing away from the city, his head in his hands. No one had spoken to him. Instead, they were all glancing at their phone, checking to see their phones and rearrange their personal rankings. I risked a glance at the app while they walked away. Bede was firmly at number one, and while I was still sitting pretty comfortably at twenty-one, Hop had fallen down to sixty. As word got out about this embarrassing defeat, it could only go further down, I surmised. I stuffed my Rotom phone back in my pocket and walked over to Hop.

"You…you okay?" I asked. I stretched out my arm to help him up.

"No," he said simply, dragging himself up without acknowledging my outstretched arm. "My new strategy was bollocks. He saw right through me. What the hell was I even thinking?"

"Hop…"

"Don't give me that. I don't need you mocking me right now, of all things," he spat.

"I'm not going to—"

"Gloria, all you do is joke around! As you can see, I am not in a very jokey mood right now!"

"I—I…"

"Exactly," he grumbled, before kicking over his bag. One of the Pokéballs inside shot out, and when it hit the ground, it opened. Wooloo popped out and looked around confused. Hop let out a cry of frustration and grabbed at the ball, returning Wooloo, who bleated in surprise.

"At least he wasn't as much of a piece of…"

"I said save it."

"Hop, you don't have to get so upset…"

"Oh, thanks, Gloria. So glad I have your sage wisdom. I'm sure it will really help me now, just like it helped goad me into that second Rock Tomb!"

"Hop, I didn't tell you how to play the battle, that was on you!" I said, getting a little defensive.

"Oh, was it not you?" Hop yelled, eyes clouding with tears. "You didn't see I was getting sloppy again, and you didn't try to fix my strategy? I didn't ask for your help!"

"Hop, what the hell has gotten into you?" I cried. "Why have you been so…so shitty lately?"

"I'm being shitty?" Hop bellowed. "You kept me from doing my training, went off on your own to train, don't even pay attention to my battles, I mean it was weird having so few people cheering for me anyway, but where the hell was your voice? In case you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of having a hard time lately, where the hell have you been?"

"I have been trying to reach you the entire two weeks we were alone in the wild together. And right now, I was distracted by Rose and Oleana. I'm…no, I'm not sorry for that. I'm sorry you couldn't keep your head on straight for five minutes and lost a battle before I could even say ten words to someone!"

Hop stopped and looked at me, first with anger, then hurt, and then embarrassment. "Sorry, Gloria. Could you just…" he trailed off as he grabbed at his traveling pack and rushed toward the Dragon's jaw, right past Bewear, who put a paw to his mouth in confusion.

"Hop!" I cried, but he was quickly picking up distance. I was never able to keep up with him when he ran. I reached the edge of the bridge and stopped, watching him disappear into the city in silence. Bewear lumbered over to me, and I leaned into him, feeling tears of my own welling up.

"He…he knows I didn't…damn," I said, shaking and melting into Bewear's fur. "I shouldn't have said that." Bewear hummed softly as I hugged him. We stood there for ten minutes, and then I composed myself.

"C'mon, Bewear. We should get to a Pokémon Center. Hop's probably headed to one, hopefully I can apologize to him there."

A/N: Wuh-oh. Not looking great for Hop out there. I thought it was weird that just losing one battle would throw him so much like it did in the game, so I brought Bede back to stomp on his dreams a second time. Don't worry! If you played the game, you know he'll be getting his comeuppance soon (Maybe sooner than you'd think...but no spoilers)!

NEXT WEEK: IN THE VAULT