"...and in the west corner we have Amber Stern!"

And here we go, Amber thought as she braved herself for what she knew was coming. Why would Arryline's Gym be any different?

"The one and only daughter of famed Pokémon trainer Gregory Stern!"

Blah blah blah, Amber mentally groaned as the crowd began muttering.

"Gregory very nearly became the champion before his prized Froslass was crippled in a freak accident where opposing Houndoom's Fire Fang landed a deadly blow on her face, blinding her and landing her in a coma. A promising career cut short, a potential champion never to be. Could this be her chance to redeem her family name?"

It took all of Amber's self-control to not snap and yell at the announcer and tell him to shut up. She still had a match to win, after all. She needed to focus.

I'll have to put up with this every time an official match starts, won't I...


"I saw your match on TV!" the voice of Oliver's mother cried from the phone, at a high enough pitch and volume that Oliver had to hold the phone away from his ear lest that ear start bleeding. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie! You're shaping up to be an amazing trainer!"

"I, uh, thank you… ?" Oliver asked, a little uncomfortable talking about himself. "Really, you should be complimenting my Pokémon. I probably wouldn't have won if Lyote hadn't evolved when he did."

Truth be told, his mind had been flashing back to what Raleigh said to him after they defeated Cole.

"You didn't win that battle. Your Pokémon did. You would do well to remember that."

It was something that he had been thinking about, turning it over in his head ever since his match against Ricky. He thought back to the argument with Amber when they first arrived in Rokkraw.

Amber believed that having strong Pokémon was more important than being a good trainer.

Oliver thought that being a good trainer was more important than having a strong team.

And yet he only managed to win against Ricky because his Pokémon evolved at the last possible second. And Moira has wiped the floor with both Amber and Ricky.

"You didn't win that battle. Your Pokémon did. You would do well to remember that."

Oliver turned these thoughts in his mind as his mother continued gushing about how handsome he looked on TV. Stuff he'd heard a hundred times before. His mother was pretty loud when she got like this and he desperately hoped Moira couldn't hear her.

Based on her snickering that was probably wishful thinking.

However, suddenly he heard a faint beeping on his phone, coupled with vibrating.

"Oh hey, mom? I'm getting another call."

"Oh… okay! Well, I've rambled for long enough anyway. I can't wait to see you battle Amelia!"

Oliver smiled. "Love you."

"Love you too."

Oliver switched calls, smiling when he saw the caller ID. He put the phone back to his ear.

"Uncle Brandon! Did you see the fight?"

"I sure did! Brought a tear to my eye, seeing Ralts tear apart that Rhyhorn like that. You really raised her right."

Oliver smiled. "Thanks."

There was silence for a bit before Brandon spoke up. "Hey Uncle Brandon, remember when I told you about those trainers who were cheating?"

Brandon took a moment to respond. "Go on…"

"Well… we think we've found out who's behind it. They're calling themselves Team Vortex."

"What?!" Brandon suddenly asked, startling Oliver. "They're back?"

"Y-you mean you know about them? How?"

"They used to be a group of Pokémon breeders who used illegal breeding practices to create impossibly powerful Pokémon. I'm a breeder myself so I heard all about it back in the day. They'd steal Pokémon to fuel their projects, and once they finally got a strong one bred, they'd break it, turning it into an unfeeling machine that knows nothing but fighting. I thought they were gone."

"Evidently they're back, but I don't think they're breeding anymore… they're selling this drug called Breakthrough that makes Pokémon stronger and lets them use moves that shouldn't be possible. And they did steal a Pokémon but only as a hostage. They seemed more preoccupied with stealing a fossil for some reason…"

Brandon hummed to himself. During this time Spencer walked over with a stern expression. "Are you talking about Team Vortex? You can't just go around telling everyone about a police investigation."

Oliver moved the receiver away from his mouth, looking sheepish. "My uncle's a breeder, he was there when the original Team Vortex was around, I figured he oughta know."

"Even still, that's potentially sensitive information."

That was when Moira piped up. "Well it's not like he didn't tell his uncle anything that wouldn't have made it on the local news anyway. Cut him some slack!"

"R-right," he said, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry for that outburst, Oliver."

Now it was Scarlet's turn to chime in. "Has Team Vortex done anything else lately? Is the Rokkraw incident the first time their actions went public?"

Spencer shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. Just that attack on you and the theft of that… wait…"

Moira looked him in the eyes. "What's wrong?"

"While I was in police training I heard that there had been a string of fossil thefts. But maybe they were all Team Vortex!"

He pulled out his own phone. "I'd better tell Looker to, um, look into that. Oliver, if he already knows about Team Vortex it's probably safe to talk to him."

"You still there?" came Brandon's voice on Oliver's phone.

"Yeah, I'm here," Oliver replied.

"Look, Oliver, these people are dangerous. You got lucky and fought them off but you might not be so lucky a second time. You already got the police involved, right? If you ever run into them again, don't press your luck. Don't try and fight them. They're not just any ordinary trainers. They are dangerous, you understand?"

Oliver nodded quickly, then realized Brandon couldn't see him. "All right. I won't."

Brandon sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. You're on your way to Arryline, right?" he asked, changing the subject. "I'll keep an eye out for you on TV."

"Yeah," Oliver said. "And when we get to Verdance, you'll show up to watch the match in person, right?"

"You know it!"

Oliver smiled. "I'll see you soon."

"Talk atcha later!"

Oliver pocketed his phone. "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's fine," Moira said. "So off to Arryline?"

"Well, first…" Oliver looked off in the direction of that cave. The one where their fight with Cole had taken place. "I have some unfinished business."

Spencer nodded. "You guys go ahead. I'll go call Looker and ask him to look into any fossil-related thefts over the past few weeks."

"Sounds like a plan," Oliver said. "We'll meet back on Route 4 in an hour."


"Oh wow, you're Gregory Stern's kid!" A man in the Pokémon Center's waiting room said as Amber walked away from the reception desk, her Pokémon having just been healed. The triangular, baby blue and magenta Glide Badge was shining proudly next to the Geode Badge.

"Who's that, daddy?" His daughter, about 6 years old, asked. The girl was wearing a T-shirt with an image of a Pikachu using Thunderbolt on a Charizard, so she was clearly into Pokémon battles.

"Stern was kinda like Raleigh when I was a kid," he responded to his daughter.

"Oh wow! Was he the champ too?"

"Not really. One of his Pokémon got really badly hurt in his last match…"

Amber didn't bother to stay for more than that, opting to just bail. He seemed more preoccupied taking about her famous father anyway.

Everywhere I go, she grumbled to herself, People always have to bring up my dad. Do they have to keep rubbing his failure in my face?!

"Hey! Amber, right?" a familiar voice called. Amber turned and actually jumped a bit when she found herself face to face with a Gallade, before noticing Lennoa there, standing next to him. "Long time no see!"

Amber stared blankly at the blind girl. "Was that meant to be a joke?"

"The irony occurred to me right as I said it, yeah."

Amber chuckled despite herself. "What's up? Have you fought Amelia yet?"

"Not yet," Lennoa admitted, shrugging. "I'm scheduled for later this evening."

"Well I hear people talking about how hard she is all the time," Amber said. "Apparently she has a reputation of causing more challengers to drop out than anyone else, but I didn't have a problem."

Lennoa was about to respond when her phone vibrated a couple times. She took her phone out and handed it to Gallade, who took it with his one hand that wasn't a sword. Lennoa read the text with Gallade's eyes.

-just watched the Rokkraw gym battles

-the girl with the Sobble looks just like the angry Galarian kid

-or is it just me?

She took the phone back. "Hey Amber, could you do me a favor and text back? I can't really do it for obvious reasons."

"Sure, I guess," Amber said, taking the phone, reading whose name it was and blinking in confusion. "What the heck kind of name is Numptie?"

"Oh, that's just a nickname. She's my pen pal from Galar."

"What's it mean anyway?"

"It's a Galarian swear word."

"Nice."

"Anyway here's what I want you to text: didn't that meme die like a decade ago lol"

Amber typed away, only a little concerned how the all lowercase was audible in her voice. She held it up to Gallade. "This okay?"

"Yep!" Lennoa said, smiling.

Amber hit send and handed the phone back to her. "Here you go."

"Thanks! I'd have Gallade do it but he's only got one hand that isn't a sword."

"Yeah, that might be a complication."

"So, Amber… I couldn't help but notice you're in kind of a bad mood." Lennoa tilted her head. "Something happen? I mean, you beat Amelia so it can't be that…"

Amber sighed. "It's my dad."

Realization dawned on Lennoa. "Oh yeah, your dad is Gregory Stern, isn't he?"

Amber nodded. "Whenever I talk with anyone older than me they only ever know me as his daughter. The announcer in the Gym battle brought that up like three times, about how I'm 'carrying on his legacy' or something. As if he's the only reason I'm a trainer!"

The two of them had sat down on a bench near the Pokémon Center, Lennoa listening to her vent and nodding to let her know she was paying attention.

"But that's not the worst of it. They keep bringing up the accident that forced him to retire! They keep talking about it as though it's my duty to redeem the family name or whatever!"

Lennoa winced. "I'm sorry. It must be rough, constantly living in someone else's shadow. Being defined by your relationship to someone else."

Amber didn't expect this innocent, immature girl to be so insightful. Then again, I guess she is psychic. "Well at least someone actually wants to talk to Amber and not Gregory Stern Jr."

Lennoa laughed again. "Look, I think you're all right," she said. "Though…"

"What?" Amber said curiously.

"That other kid from your hometown, Oliver, doesn't seem to care about that."

Amber glared at nothing in particular on hearing the name. "Hmph."

"Why do you have issues with him?"

Amber sighed. "He's just so… infuriating. His team is made up of rejects no one wanted. His Ralts was abandoned at the day care for being weak, and his Joltik couldn't last 5 seconds in the wild. And yet he still thinks he can measure up to the best! You can't be the champion with some random shelter Pokémon."

Lennoa nodded, frowning. "Go on."

"And for all his talk about a good trainer being more important than a good team, he's a pushover! He never wants to push his Pokémon, never puts any pressure on them so they'll always be weak!"

The blind psychic frowned. "There's nothing wrong with treating your Pokémon with kindness."

"And he never wants to use his entire team at once because it's not 'fair' or whatever," Amber continued. "It's arrogant is what it is!"

She took a deep breath, calming herself down. "It's just… he's annoying. He's weak. He's a crybaby. And if he thinks he's champion material, he's got another thing coming."

Lennoa sighed, eyes closed. "You really don't like him, do you?"

Amber took a deep breath, coming down from her rant. "I don't."

"When I met Ralts I could see his training reflected in her. His Pokémon love him, you know. You don't get that by focusing on strength alone, or by being 'arrogant.'"

She opened her eyes again, smiling that same innocent smile. "Well it's been nice catching up with you. I'd better get ready for my own battle. See you in the finals!" she waved goodbye as she walked off with Gallade.

Amber watched her walk off, glowering.

Whatever. I'll show Oliver next time we battle. Him and his stupid girlfriend. I still need to repay her for defeating me.

Thinking of Moira suddenly brought something into the forefront of her mind. The text message Lennoa had received, frustration turning to curiosity.

Angry Galarian Kid? That's a meme, isn't it?

Curious, she pulled out her phone, typed in a quick search, and clicked the first video that popped up. Her eyes widened as it slowly dawned on her.

No… no way!


The Underground Highway was quiet since the Team Vortex fight concluded. The wild Pokémon in the adjoining cave had come out of their holes, and were once again doing their thing.

Slinking through the shadows was the Sableye from earlier. The one Oliver decided not to catch, that sound up giving away their presence. It was digging around in the rock, looking for gemstones. No such luck, though. Most of the valuable gems buried in the cave were small, minuscule, and Sableye had eaten most of them already.

"Hey! Sableye!"

It whipped around to face the voice. It was Oliver, looking intense, flanked by Moira and Scarlet, with Cassandra beside them. "I'm gonna catch you for what you did earlier!"

Sableye growled and got into a defensive stance.

Oliver grabbed a Pokéball and threw it out. "Go, Hoodlet!"

The red-eared rabbit Pokémon hopped onto the ground, facing down the Ghost/Dark type. He adjusted his glasses and clenched his fists. "Hoodlet, use Disarming Voice!"

Hoodlet opened her mouth and it's small voice rang out, taking the form of a pinkish wave of energy which struck Sableye head-on. It slid back and regained its footing, before it vanished into the shadows.

Moira looked around. "Did it get away?"

Oliver shook his head. "It's using Shadow Sneak. Look alive, Hoodlet! Try to stay in the air!"

Hoodlet nodded and began hopping around, to prevent herself from being a moving target. Oliver, meanwhile, was frantically scanning the ground for any signs of movement. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack if the needle was the same color as the hay.

Just within Oliver's peripheral vision, he noticed a small glint of light, as if shining off a small shiny object. He squinted, and could just barely make out a silhouette.

"There! Use Pluck!" He pointed.

Realizing the jig was up, Sableye sprung from the shadows to attack, but Hoodlet was already in the air barreling towards it. She struck it dead-on and flipped away before Sableye could react.

"Now use Thief!"

Sableye readied a Night Slash and swung at Hoodlet, but she dodged expertly and swung around behind the Ghost/Dark-type, striking it from behind.

Moira looked on in confusion. "That Sableye is getting f***in' destroyed! Shouldn't it be puttin' up more of a fight?"

"It's hungry," Scarlet explained. "Sableye consumes rocks for sustenance. The thing is, this place isn't as mineral-rich as some other areas of Allanza so it's pretty malnourished."

Oliver turned back and nodded. "Maybe she'll have better luck if I catch her and bring her around the region, to places that are mineral-rich."

Scarlet did a double-take. "How can you tell that Sableye's female?"

"I dunno. Blame the psychic powers I apparently have."

With that, Oliver pulled a Pokéball from his pocket and threw it, dragging the Sableye inside and snapping shut. It shook a couple times but it locked almost immediately. Like Scarlet pointed out, Sableye was hungry and weak.

Oliver picked up the ball. "I have some all-purpose Pokémon food on me," he said. "It won't bring her up to full strength, she needs to eat some actual minerals, but it'll at least fill her up for the time being."

Scarlet nodded. "Sounds good to me. That Sableye is in good hands with you."

Moira stepped up. "I bet ye knew she was hungry when she first popped up! And ye came back here tae help her out!"

Oliver scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Actually… I just think Sableye is cool."

Moira and Scarlet stared blankly at him for a moment, then simultaneously began to laugh at how uncharacteristically petty that was. Even Cassandra joined in. Oliver blushed in embarrassment, but couldn't stifle a chuckle either.

Yeah… I guess it is kinda funny.


I promise the main plot will actually get moving again soon, I swear!

I'm beginning to realize more and more that Amber is my favorite character to write, and the odd friendship between her and Lennoa wasn't something I expected to happen when I started writing.

Incidentally, if anyone's curious, Lennoa's Galarian pen pal Numptie is based on my friend's Pokémon SW/SH character, just a fun thing I decided to throw in there.